My White Oleander Outside
by White-Oleaders-Back
Summary: (Sequel to the FIERCE FUZZBALL, a proven fav in many sites) Salix Almasy is a regular teenage girl. For an Almasy, that is. Things get weird when she starts having voices in her dreams...
1. Naughty Girls Need Love Too!

(And so happily ever after, right? Wrong! Let's just say... The author of THE FIERCE FUZZBALL!!! Had a brain fart, can't think of a new plot, so guess what? IT'S BACK)  
  
**  
  
"Let's see... Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold..." the platinum haired young girl muttered as she sprawled out across the bed of her dorm, stacks of papers on her stomach as her blue and gold uniform ruffled even more untidy than usual. The girl sighed, rolling her legs over her head and somersaulting off of the untidy half sheet-less bed, onto the old stained gray rug that was infested with clothes, papers, books, pop cans, and chip bags. Yes, as anybody could see, Salix Almasy was not the average 'clean' fourteen year old girl.  
  
"Salix Almasy, you clean this dorm up right now!" came the squeaky, young female voice that still made somebody cringe. It boomed throughout the tiny room that was merely filled with a bed, computer, window, and a few shelves.  
  
The girl looked up to stare at the angry, yet well known face of Ysamla Dincht. The short blonde hair poking out from beneath the pink headband, which Ysamla refused to remove, crowned the face that held the blue eyes that seemed as though they'd turn red each time the young lady was angry. The pink headband didn't go well with the blue uniform, but that's what friends like Salix are for, as quite frankly Sal didn't care what looked good.  
  
"Hey, Yam, look at this!" Salix stood up, handing a sheet of paper to the blonde, who rejected it with a snobby look "Eww, okay, no!" "Huh? Why not?" "There's chewed up gum on it!"  
  
Salix giggled slightly in her deep voice way. "Oops, sorry... hee hee..." she peeled the wad of pink gum off of the paper, tossing it behind her and just hoping slightly that it landed in the trash can.  
  
Ysamla shuddered, leaning over and taking the paper "what is it?"  
  
"I found out more about my aunt by researching on the web again."  
  
"Hmm? Celbie has more articles? I did like the last one she did about how to make men grovel..."  
  
"No! My other aunt..."  
  
"Fuijin's got a sister?"  
  
"No, you Airhead! Saranie!"  
  
Ysamla looked the paper over, shaking her head from as she did nothing but glimpse at letters, then brushed the paper back to Sal "that's nice... Hey, that boy Sabbath was looking for you! I bet he's got a thing for you!"  
  
"Sam... You're retreating from the point..." Sal and Sam never failed to amuse them. They always had loved playing with words, and the fact that Salix's last name was Ysamla's name backwards, since both of their parents had always been friends.  
  
"Look, Saranie was gone before you were born, get over it! She's dead, and I'm sorry..."  
  
"But, that's exactly the point of this article! Saranie was a hero for the world, and she died while doing that! It also says no bodies except for the five guards on that ship were found! Maybe..."  
  
"Sal, don't go on a wild goose chase for a dead woman you think is still alive! You have SeeD tests coming up, and it's time you love bird's buckle down and you at least pay attention to Sabbath!"  
  
"... Sabbath?" Sal sighed, ready to change the subject, knowing the next topic Ysamla would go after would be the dirtiness of her room, and ultimately make her start cleaning it. It wasn't so much as hard work, cleaning the room, but it was the fact that unless the room was dirtied Sal had trouble sleeping there. She hated a clean room because of so much space. Salix liked crowded spaces, she liked to have somebody watching over her. It must be because when she was little, she got used to her parents looking over her crib and smothering her by putting their huge selves always around her, so that she was comfortable in closed spaces only. She even hated to shut her eyes, because then there was nothing she could see that would surround her. Kind of like a reverse claustrophobic.  
  
"You know, Irvine and Selphie's boy!"  
  
"I know who he is! Why do you keep mentioning him?" Sal turned, picking up her bag and following Ysamla out of the door, into the empty hall as afternoon sunlight poured in through the glass ceiling.  
  
"Because, silly, he likes you..."  
  
"Huh? What are you talking about?"  
  
"Well... remember when you and Sabbath and me were out on the 'deck' the other day? And after he put his money in, you pushed lemonade and took a drink? Well, he doesn't like sour drinks anyways, but he still drunk after you!"  
  
"Maybe he was thirsty..." Sal shrugged it off as they passed a group while walking out onto the 'deck'. The deck was really a concrete deck looking structure with vending machines and tables that overlooked a deep dipping hill, which leg onto the Training Field. She overlooked the rail, and watched Raijin see to it that a few pairs of teenagers spar as they used a kick-and-hit-with-a-stick-stupidly, or as Salix described it.  
  
Uncle Raijin was a bum. Out and out, a bum. He even lived with her parents! Salix knew that the three, Fuijin, Seifer, and Raijin, had all been good buddies since they were all twelve, but Raijin still lived with the now married couple sixteen years later. Not that Salix was complaining. No, Uncle Raijin was cool, and fun, too. Once, he had accidentally fed the Almasy family cat, or giant flaming cat, Rira, Cocoa Puffs, thinking it was the pets cat chow. But, even before Salix was born, the immortal cat had actually eaten raw meat, and Raijin knew that. He was truly a dope. She still had a letter that you'd think was written by a Kindergartener from Raijin she had gotten a few years earlier when he was away seeing something called 'Blitz Ball'. It seemed as though he played the game, but she never really understood it.  
  
"Excuse me, but who is this gorgeous phenomenon that fools would disgrace to call 'little girl'? Why, she is a fine young woman!" came the country- accented voice she knew so well. She smiled, turning around and running over to throw her arms around Irvine Kinnease, who was a family friend since she was little. The last time she had seen Irvine was at her ninth birthday party, since he was on the he was on the other side of the world most of the time. Irvine was one of her most favorite people in the world, along side with Selphie, Quistis, Zell, Raijin, Ellone, Shun, Nanto, Novato, Ysamla, and of course her parents.  
  
**  
  
"So, what have ya been up ta lately?" came the goofy energetic voice of Zell Dincht, Ysamla's dad. Sal loved Zell to pieces, as she especially loved watching him try to get on a chocobo. It would stay still long enough until he almost had his leg over, but then take off, dragging Zell with him. Ysamla, on the other hand, didn't fair so well with this.  
  
"It's 'what have you been up to lately', dad! Act your age for once!" Ysamla snapped, covering her head in shame as the huge group stood in the elevator up to Salix's own father's office.  
  
Zell leaned back "just because I'm thirty-three don't mean I ain't got feelings!"  
  
Quistis, his wife, who by Sal's opinion was completely opposite of him, and more like Ysamla, sighed. Quistis was a good person, really. And smart, too. "Now, now, stop fighting, my children."  
  
The elevator reached the top, and the group of people piled out of it. Sal had realized all gardens have the same structure, this was exactly like Balamb Garden, though she had never been there. They walked into the waiting room, Salix and Selphie last as they listened with laughter at Ysamla and Zell argue. Selphie was really cool, too. Selphie was the cool soccer mom type, the one with peppy up beat taste. Too much for Salix's taste in mother, but good enough in taste of friend's mother.  
  
"Hmm... How about this next upcoming dance, Sally? Sabbath keeps writing to me, and I doubt he'll ever shut up about you! I wonder if he likes you a little..." Selphie said slyly. This made Salix queasy. You don't talk about a brewing relationship with the guy's mom, even though she was a family friend. It just seemed a little odd. And she couldn't say she didn't really have interest in Sabbath, as Irvine might be offended. His pride and joy in life was his wife and the stunning good looks he had passed to his son.  
  
Zell, Ysamla, Quistis, Irvine, Selphie, and then finally Salix entered the huge office of Seifer Almasy. The thirty four year old blonde, head master of a Garden, and out and out still gorgeous man turned to them, smiling slightly "well, if it isn't the Adams Family Reunion..."  
  
**  
  
Garden wasn't really a garden at all. They were a string of Military schools throughout two planets, and on Urone, Sal's home planet, the heads of the garden's were all linked in the past by a mysterious connection: sorceresses. In the past, her dad was the bad guy in the first event and from begin and near the end of the last event. Her mom was a bad guy for half of the first event and a good guy for the last event. Salix attended Spiral Garden, the biggest Garden on Urone. Seifer and Fuijin were headmaster's here. In the Sai Garden, Zell and Quistis were headmaster's, even though their daughter went here. And on Omigutsinu, Selphie and Irvine reigned, but had put their son in Seifer's care. That was because Spiral Garden was the best, and really nobody except Salix's father was willing to show their kids how to cold bloodedly murder a fella.  
  
Salix sat on the railings that outlined the head of the deck, watching the empty Training Field as birds, such as crows and everything, of course, danced on the blades of grass. She liked it this way. When nobody was around... when she was in solitary confinement. She hated questions, and that was usually what people gave her. "Salix, will you help me carry this?" "Sal, clean your room please" "Sal, why do you always look up a dead girl and guy?" "Sal, this time on a computer could be spent with a nice guy... on a date, at the beach... on a sunset... Hey are you seeing that Sabbath guy? Cause if not, I'll take him!" "Salix, uh, will you go to the dance with me?" "Salix Almasy, did you do your homework!?" she usually just responded with a simple shrug and "Pickles". Or, sometimes, Fudge-Monkeys. And if it was a loser trying to get with her, she'd make them feel bad by saying "Go hug a rainbow, Jolly-Rancher."  
  
"Mew!" a little cream colored with black stripes blob came bounding up to rest on her lap, pink eyes shining and three little tails waving.  
  
"Rira!" Salix smiled, stroking her pet cat's head.  
  
"That cat can run, you know..." came a huffing and puffing worn out voice as a young man with reddish brown hair and soft face bounded up from the shadows of the door way of the hall.  
  
"Chasing my kitten again, Sabbath?" she smiled, as Rira leapt off of her lap and started to tumble happily into the Training Field.  
  
"Uh... Oh, yeah, sorry, umm, yeah... Mrs. Fuijin said that Rira needed some exercise and all... Or more, 'FAT', 'CAT', 'EXERCISE!!!'" the two laughed at Sabbath's unmistakable impression of Salix's mom. Fuijin still had fits of rage, but never focused them at Salix, so she was fine with them. Sal smiled slightly, pulling off what her bloodline had pulled off for as long as it was recorded; 'being evil.' Salix knew that Sabbath had the same weakness Irvine did, and that was girls coming on to them instead of them coming on to girls "oh, it's not nice to chase a girl's... pussy..."  
  
Sabbath nearly choked on his own tongue. He was clueless. Another puppet tied around another girl's finger. He shook the shock off, stumbling over and resting a hand on the pop machine, pulling out a dollar and letting the machine engulf it.  
  
"Umm... Hmm... The coke's out again..."  
  
"You know people always get it. Why don't you find something new to drink? How about lemonade?" Coke was Sabbath's favorite, and the rarely used sour drink that fitted Salix was his least favorite. He hated all sour drinks.  
  
He frowned slightly, but looked up and saw her smiling at him, that same smile Fuijin gave. Passive-aggressive. It was the smile that said 'I love you, but I'll beat your head in if you don't do what I want', so he got the lemonade anyways.  
  
He uncapped the top, then walked over and heaved himself onto Salix's railing, handing the lemonade to her. She took it from him, taking a drink, nearly emptying the bottle before realizing it wasn't her drink. He merely watched her, shaking his head.  
  
She pulled her lips off of it, wiping off the corners of her mouth, holding it out to him "sorry, here, it's yours."  
  
"I don't really want the rest. You have it... You can chug, did you know that?"  
  
"Yeah..." she smiled slightly, leaning against the rail. He moved closer to her, placing his hand on her thigh. Garden kids weren't like other kids. They took risks everyday, so a light kiss demanded more attention than just a peck. It demanded rubbing, touching, groping, licking, anything that was just under those lines of sex itself. He leaned forward, sliding his hands up so that his fingers were underneath the fabric of her long blue skirt, as he pressed his lips against hers.  
  
As it may have been a shock for him, his first kiss, it wasn't Salix's. Those long legs had been stroked before, those lips had been kissed before. It wasn't really a long time before this, about a year ago, actually. It was even Sabbath's best friend, Kiedar. Kiedar was tall, handsome, athletic, and charming too. He wasn't stupid, either, not smart, but not stupid. But, he wasn't really perfect. He was snobby, picky, rude most of the time when he wasn't looking for 'fun', and most of all he was really wussy.  
  
They were in the library, and it was after hours. Sal hadn't really shown much attention to boy's, as she was thirteen and actually more interested in family, friends, and most of all SeeD Trainee missions. But, all was boring right now for Sal, and Kiedar saw her as a challenge. As the girl-next-door, as your boss's daughter, the headmaster's daughter. He asked her if she wanted to have some fun, and being irresponsible, she said yes. So, he picked her up, and sat her on the table. She being the headmaster's daughter, he a year older and allowed more privileges, there was little chance of anybody walking in on them. He leaned over, kissing her deeply, tongue and all. She enjoyed the make-out session, the warmth of his mouth, up until the point where he got bored with just kissing. He then shoved his hands up her skirt, playing with her underwear roughly. This, she did not like. He looped an arm around her, holding her still while she struggled to get away from his pushing as he tried to remove her undergarments. He yanked the panties off, revealing a mass of silvery pubic hair, and climbed upon the table as well. He shoved her down against it, laying on top of her as he scanned her over, a confused look on his face. A minute passed and all fear had departed from Salix, now converted into amusement "well, first you take out your dick, you idiot..." "Huh?" "... What are you trying to do?" "Hump you!" "And in order to do that, you need a 'key' and put it in my 'lock'." "... I ain't got a key..." "... How do you know what sex is, Kiedar?" "My friend's always tell me about it... they tell me as far as when they get off the panties, and now I don't know what to do..." "... Get off of me and I'll tell you what to do..." An awkward moment, really. The Rape-ee teaching the Rapist how to rape. Of course, Kiedar was too embarrassed at how he didn't get the analogy of what to do with his penis that he walked out of there, sad and awkward, and hasn't spoken to Salix since.  
  
She decided against telling this to Sabbath, as when he leaned back his eyes held such eagerness, excitement, they were wide and bright. Like how a kid's is when you tell it that his sick dog is going to a happy, happy farm and will get well soon. She smiled, searching for an answer to his loving gaze, maybe even a lie "... your a good kisser..."  
  
He smiled "maybe I get it from my father?"  
  
"Yeah..." she smiled, leaning over and pushing all of her weight on him, making him fall back and onto the railing. She unbuttoned his shirt, which he did not object to. She was done with kissing. She was ready now to, as they say, 'go all the way.' She kissed his stomach softly, going lower as she fiddled with his pants buckle. He clenched the concrete beneath him, ready for whatever was next. She ran her tongue past his bellybutton, more than willing to cup her lips over 'him.' Then, she saw a pink headband in the corner of her eye.  
  
**  
  
"You were really going to do that to him, weren't you? You were going to do that awful, horrid thing those disgusting women in Girl's Next Door do, weren't you?!" Ysamla paced nervously through her and Salix's dorm, mostly through Sal's bedroom to yell at the silver haired heap on the bed.  
  
As if she didn't already feel awful enough. No, it wasn't the fact that she was ready to suck Sabbath dry. She was actually willing to marry him at this point. But, the fact that she was caught, that was the problem. Ysamla was supposed to be her friend. But, she ran off and told Fuijin, Fuijin herself, that her one and only precious baby was ready to fuck a guy. Salix had fallen off of Sabbath, who had fallen off and rolled down the hill while trying to yank up his pants. They were both lucky they were Headmaster's kids, or else they'd be suspended right now.  
  
"Salix Almasy, you are fourteen! You're far too young to be experimenting with sex!!! Ugh, I am disgusted. You're going straight to Nun school! And becoming a bride of Christ, not a pervert's vacuum! Now, get out of my sight!" "SALIX, ROOM, NOW, DEATH TOMORROW!!!" hot tears rolled down Sal's cheek as she knew she had done the worst in her life. What was so wrong, she had done what everybody wanted, she had gotten with Sabbath? But, something was wrong. Daddy was being daddy, not the gang leader she was familiar with. Mom, she was yelling at her, just like anybody else, not like at her own daughter. She was now a stranger. She had disappointed the adults. She could hear Selphie down the hall roaring at Sabbath, and occasionally Irvine booming in at him "yeah, use a condom!", which she could imagine a dark scowl from Selphie. She had heard and seen Quistis and Zell muttering on her way to her room. Quistis was whispering to Zell "I can't believe a girl as precious as Salix would do this..." Zell just sat with his hands in his head. A position she had seen before...  
  
SQUALL LEONHART! Squall, the man who had supposedly died with her sister. She had a picture of him with a black haired pale looking cheery woman on his lap in an elevator, and he was in that position. The cheery black haired woman was Rinoa Heartilly, who was now an aid to the president in Pandemonium. Salix, Salix, Salix. How did you forget? You're on a mission, a mission from god. And either somebody's along for the ride, or their getting their ass off. Salix stood up, bending over and picking up her most prized possession; Her dad's old Gunblade, Blood Fest. It was old, yeah, but just as sharp as ever, due to her good care of it. She loved it's purple hue and how it was like a vibrant rainbow when the violet had taken over when it shined in the sun when she was little. She still loved how it's strength was good enough to hold off even magic.  
  
"What are you doing? Put that weapon down and get back in bed. You know, just like you would if Sabbath was here..."  
  
"Ysamla... You want Sabbath, don't you? For yourself."  
  
"... Of course not! He likes it when you... lick him... there..."  
  
"But you did, and that's why you snitched."  
  
"..."  
  
"Don't talk, Ysamla. Of course. When I actually want an answer, you won't give it to me. Look... I'm running away. Do not tell my parents... please... I'll be back in a while. In fact, come with me! Please! And we'll get Sabbath, too! We'll actually be on our real mission... In for an adventure!"  
  
"..." Ysamla looked down, sighing "I can't let my friend go out without my protection, now can I?"  
  
**  
  
Two shadowy figures crept through the bushes outside of the dorm building, creeping silently. Salix was dressed in black, something that just called to her. A black ribbon in her silver her, and a black ruffled dress that look more like a heap of black cloth, and black buckle shoes. Ysamla, on the other hand, wore a bright orange and white striped shoulder-less shirt, green vest, pink ankle-less pants, with pink gym-shoes, and of course her pink headband.  
  
"Hoist me up, Ysamla!" Salix hissed at the confused looking girl when they stopped outside of Sabbath's window.  
  
Sabbath woke up abruptly to see heaps on his floor, muttering and hissing at each other. "You have to be gentler than that!" "What do you want, Dincht? Me to float you onto the floor!?" "No, but to be nicer about it!" "We gotta be more careful with our sneaking..."  
  
"Salix? Ysamla?" Sabbath laughed, sitting up.  
  
"Shush!" Salix hissed, seeing in the dim light that Ysamla had blushed at her name coming out of Sabbath's mouth.  
  
"? Why are you two in my room..." Sabbath said, confused.  
  
"Because, we want you to come with us! Nobody but us can know, okay?"  
  
"Huh? Why not?!"  
  
"Because we're running away. We're on a mission, Sabbath, and you're the last chosen member. Come on... Please?"  
  
"I can't run away! I'm in enough trouble with my parents, the last thing I need is to make my mom madder! And how about you, Yam? You're not nearly prepared for this! You can't control your whip yet anyways!"  
  
"I can too!" Ysamla frowned, now embarrassed that Sabbath though this about her.  
  
"Sal! Your mom's so mad right now that if you ran off, she'd have a heart attack out of rage! You want that?"  
  
"Look... I love my mom... But, I have to do something about this... something's calling to me... A force, something I have to find. Like the smell of smoke throws you into panic... Imagine that a small old fire is restarting, and it's throwing me into panic. Please come, Sabbath..."  
  
"No! I'm staying right here, and there's nothing that can change my mind!" he shook his head, rolling over and flopping against the bed.  
  
"Suit your damn self. I just hope that you have a damn good life staying here and getting yelled at" Salix stood up, turning away from Sabbath "come on, Yam."  
  
**  
  
"Where will we go?" Ysamla followed Salix through the long dark hall, blank and seeming endless.  
  
"I'm going to see my grandpa... You know, the old president."  
  
"Old president... this one is Perry Quagmire, right?"  
  
"Yeah, but my grandpa is the one before that."  
  
"Novato Almasy? Why?"  
  
"Because he knows something I should know..."  
  
"What's that, Salix?"  
  
"... You'll see..."  
  
"Tell me!"  
  
"You know what? You talk too much" Salix looked up, smiling as she passed a green sign on the wall that said 'Parking Lot.' She opened the glass door, walking into the cold concrete garage, scanning her eyes over the dozens of Vehicles that were Garden property, but mostly hers, by family name, right?  
  
"We can't steal!" Ysamla hissed, shaking her head.  
  
"It's not stealing, it's just borrowing, without asking, and most likely never returning..."  
  
"That's wrong!"  
  
"Your a snitch, so I'm a thief. We're equal."  
  
"I am not a snitch, I am an urban informer!"  
  
"And I am not a thief, I am a borrower. Like that book you love."  
  
"Growl... Look, we can't even drive!"  
  
"We can't drive a car, but we can drive a Mini Ship..."  
  
"What?!"  
  
Salix pulled a pair of keys from her back pocket, pressing a button on one as a huge red machine that looked like a pod beeped. It was slick and shiny, with black tinted windows, and narrow too. Salix opened the door, peering inside "It looks tiny from the outside, but inside there's enough room if we want to camp out, and for supplies... Like, you have your mom and dad's credit cards, right? And I have some money I've been saving..."  
  
"I don't have a good feeling about this... We're stealing..."  
  
"Just get in! We're teenage girls, we'll be excused if we get in trouble."  
  
"Not from me..." came the smooth voice of Sabbath, as he smiled at the two young while leaning on the doorway.  
  
"Sabbath!" Ysamla smiled, running over and throwing her arms around his neck, causing him shock and her to just as quickly pull away and blush "oh, I'm sorry... Joy to see you overcame me..."  
  
"... Uh, yeah, umm, so death rears it's ugly head?" Salix crossed her arms, glaring at Sabbath, or more at Ysamla for her idiotic way of covering up the fact of liking Sabbath.  
  
"Salix... Please, I'm sorry. Lets not fight?" Sabbath frowned.  
  
"Your acting like we're a couple" Salix shrugged, turning and rummaging through her stuff.  
  
"Aren't we?" he frowned.  
  
"Yeah, as if I'd have interest in somebody as wussy as you for more than just tempting you?!" Salix laughed. A fake laugh, but she was good at lying.  
  
"Salix..." Sabbath was good at catching on by now, and merely smiled "okay, then..."  
  
"So, then, Sabbath, or can I call you Sab?" Ysamla, slow as she was, wrapped her arm around Sabbath's, dragging him towards the Mini Ship as Salix sighed and leapt inside into the driver seat.  
  
"Well, uh... some people call me Zip..."  
  
"Zip?"  
  
"Cause I don't talk, and I don't equal much..."  
  
"Of course you do! But, if you like Zip, so be it..." Ysamla smiled, dragging the poor boy into the vehicle with a silver haired Venus Fly Trap and giddy blonde Snitching Weasel. But, both were extremely hot, and hot for him, so he didn't really mind.  
  
**  
  
"What time did they leave?" moaned Seifer, hunched over on his bed, hands on his head. Fuijin leaned over the doorway, puffy and red eyed "... The cameras caught their last movement at 12:00 AM precisely last night." Seifer looked at his clock. It read 1:45 PM. Classes had started at 7:00 AM sharp. Only five minutes ago had they discovered their daughter was missing, Mr. and Mrs. Almasy. Only five minutes ago had a teacher reported that neither Salix Almasy, Sabbath Kinnease, nor Ysamla Dincht had been seen in any of their classes. Remembering yesterday, Seifer had jumped to conclusions, and had promptly blamed Irvine for teaching Sabbath to lure his one and only child away from classes in order to get her pregnant, and doing such to Zell's kid. And now, it was discovered the Security Cameras had picked up on the three leaving the Garage Parking Lot earlier that morning. If only he paid more attention to Salix... she wouldn't have retreated to wanting to do sexual intercourse with boys, stealing from the Garden, and leaving him here to worry about her...  
  
"... How bad of parents are we?! Our kid has just run off with her best friend and bad influential boy!" Seifer put his head in his hand.  
  
"SEIFER! DON- don't do this to yourself, please... It must be a different answer, I mean, look at Sabbath's test scores. He isn't a bad kid... and every child wants to experiment with sex now and then... They're just kids, off doing things kids like to do..."  
  
"... Fuijin..." Seifer didn't cry. Only once in his life as he can remember he had cried. And that was for his sister and most likely mutual feeling friend. Other than that, he can't remember crying. Now, he felt like bursting into frustrated tears.  
  
She sighed, walking over and hugging his head against her stomach, shaking her head. She reigned this man's life, throughout his life since they were twelve, she had always been in control, forgetting her feelings. Now she realized that all the emotions inside of her had reigned over her for all of these years. "SEIFER!"  
  
"..." he nuzzled her stomach, smiling hopefully. "Keep yelling... brings back memories, before any of this..."  
  
"... Seifer..." she smiled, running her fingers through his hair.  
  
"I said keep yelling, damn it!" he ordered her, sliding his arms around her waist.  
  
"DON'T COMMAND!" she snapped, pausing to realize she had been commanded once again, and making her laugh.  
  
He smiled, hugging her tightly, sliding his thumbs into the waist of her skirt "you know, we could always make new kids, right?"  
  
"SEIFER!"  
  
"Kidding, kidding, kidding... Or am I?" he said slyly.  
  
"NOT, KID, ABOUT, SALIX!!!"  
  
"Salix... why did we name her that anyways?"  
  
"SALIX, DEMON, TRICKED, GABRIEL"  
  
"Oh, right. Salix was the demon who tricked Gabriel into thinking Merlin was dead in order to make Gabriel his wife of the shadow... But what? Why did we name her somebody as bad as that?"  
  
"... SA- Salix represented the darkness of both the witch's paths, therefore it means darkness in the ancient language. You are a darkness witch, so her name was in your honor. Mariah means sun witch... Rira means fire witch... Zaphal means Electricity... Divine no doubt means Divinity... Gelidity means ice... and Squall means wind..."  
  
"Squall? Haven't heard that in forever... Humph. Squall..." Seifer chuckled, shaking his head.  
  
"AWFUL"  
  
"Yeah, he was pretty damn awful. Making Saranie stay behind in order to save his ass..."  
  
"NO, AWFUL, DAY, FLAMES, HEAT, EXPLOSION"  
  
"..." Seifer leaned back, shaking his head. Those two tears he had shed was all he could muster up in both of Saranie's and Squall's life. It made him sick to be him...  
  
"... STOP!!!"  
  
"... What?"  
  
"STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT DAY! I'M SORRY I BROUGHT IT UP!!!" she shoved him down on the bed, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him.  
  
"You know how hot you are when you boss people around?" Seifer laughed.  
  
"I GUESS THAT'S WHY YOU FIND RINOA SO ATTRACTIVE!" she turned her back to him, snubbing his gaze.  
  
"How do you get Rinoa from my attempts of trying to get your pants off? Hey... That reminds me... Saranie, on the ship, fourteen years ago, she said she was going to take care of Rinoa... but it looks like she just ran away from Rinoa..."  
  
"?! ARE YOU SAYING SARANIE WAS LYING!? YOU MUST HAVE MISHEARD..."  
  
"... I guess... It'd be nice if those two were still alive to fill in the blanks for us..." Seifer sad up, shaking his head. His daughter was gone, just like his sister and his rival he had come to understand.  
  
"..."  
  
"Yeah, fucking slut sister stayed behind to save the next guy she'd do and got herself killed, leaving damn questions..."  
  
"... Easy to tell she's your sister."  
  
"Yep, and I ain't ashamed ta say it."  
  
**  
  
"Huh? Nanto? Oh, you must mean Toto. Yes, I'll go get him. Who is asking for him?" the annoying looking barmaid nodded, turning to walk back into the back room of the bar. Salix was lucky that they had gotten there before 7 PM, or else they wouldn't be allowed into the smoke filled cancer ridden bar.  
  
"Hey, sweet cheeks, you lookin' ta give trim like Yuki?" came the sneaky weasel like voice of a creepy looking bug eyed man who sat in a bar stool next to Salix. "How 'bout you, blondie? You look like a virgin, though... Well, how 'bout I give ya a free spin in the back room there and see if your good enough for Sun Aim Pub."  
  
"Huh? What do you mean, 'a free spin'?" Ysamla looked confused by the man's offer.  
  
"Bill, I already told you this wasn't a strip club. This beers free if you leave these girls alone. They have an interest in Toto" the barmaid came back, her pink her falling over her red eyes. Tiny eyes. And dyed hair, too, as she had black eyebrows. Easy to tell that she was from Omigutsinu, her pale skin and little eyes. She had pink hair falling past her neck, a little in between Ysamla's crown of gold under that headband and Salix's mid-back platinum stream. Her skin was whiter than a ghost's, and her red eyes were very small. She wore a red jacket over nothing but a bra, with a single button in the center to shield very little of the black bra, which matched her black short shorts and black high-heeled boots.  
  
"? They want the boss? At 28, he shouldn't have to get strippers... he should have a girlfriend... Come on, Yuki, let me lick 'em..." he reached out, stroking Salix's leg. How done she was with the whole leg stroking. But, Sabbath was done with it the most. He jumped up, punching Bill in the jaw, sending him scurrying off after Sabbath's rifle was revealed from under his black jacket. The woman named Yuki smiled.  
  
"Gosh, if only Nanto would do that for me... hee hee... Whelp, follow me..." Yuki turned, picking up a lantern and going into the backroom as the three followed. Yuki chattered throughout the way, but it was low and to herself, so nothing was made out. They walked down a spiral staircase, and once all of the three were convinced that this stair case led to the center of the earth, Yuki finally spoke to them.  
  
"So, what are your guys's names?"  
  
"I'm Sabbath Kinnease, SeeD Trainee Level 8" Sabbath answered quickly, and formal like.  
  
"Oh, so your the lead of all this? I doubt a SeeD Level 8 would be pimping women..."  
  
"Huh?! We're only 14!"  
  
"No, he isn't the leader. I am. I'm Salix Almasy, Nanto's niece."  
  
"I'm Ysamla Dincht!"  
  
"Salix? Pretty name... I'm Yuki, Yuki Wakimura. Nice ta meet ya. Didn't know Nanto had such pretty family members..." Yuki said, ignoring Ysamla.  
  
"Uh, thanks..."  
  
"Wish I had been born with silver hair. Alas, my stupid family had to be Omigutsinu. We all have dark hair... My sister had the prettiest, and my brother and me got black. Hers is a shiny blue that can catch sunlight and lays straight... Mine was curly and black. So, I straightened it, cut it, and dyed it. I think it looks better pink..."  
  
'No, you look like an Easter Egg, and talk as much as a duck's ass' Salix thought, now annoyed "how long will it be til' we get there?"  
  
"Oh, this? This is an underground Tunnel. You know how the bar, Sun Aim, was in the forest outside Pandemonium? Well, this tunnel leads into Pandemonium. It goes straight into a strip joint in the middle of Pandemonium. Your uncle also owns that. That guy Bill back there, he's been trying to get girl's to strip for him back at Sun Aim, cause he's a sex fiend. He was so horny once he touched one of the dancers, which is against the law. He got banned, so he stays at Sun Aim looking for hookers."  
  
"Oh..." Salix hadn't gotten her answer, which made her annoyed... and she didn't like being annoyed. If there was a hulk that didn't turn green over ripping a pair of perfect purple pants, it was Seifer or Fuijin. And, combining them and making that mad was lighting a fuse for world destruction.  
  
They finally came to a huge door, and Yuki carefully put in the coordinates on the lock and opened it. Inside wasn't as smoky as the last bar, and you could tell that no smoking was allowed and neither was drinking. But, you could hear shouts from old men and screams of young women, and got the idea of what was going on in the next room. Yuki led them down the hall, where she opened a regular looking door, which led into a regular looking office, but the man inside wasn't regular looking. Just how he looked fourteen years ago; Messy brown hair, bright brown eyes, and even the same type of clothes. Nanto Almasy sill had the same worn out and helpless expression as always.  
  
"Toto, somebody's here to see you" Yuki held open the door as Salix rushed in, throwing her arms around her uncle.  
  
"SAL!? Oh, no, not here! You know what this place is!?" Nanto gasped, pulling away.  
  
"No, I thought it was Candy Land. This is Lap Dog strip club, right?"  
  
"Yeah, and as in strip club your not allowed in here!"  
  
"Nanto... Your my uncle, I can tell these Airheads to get out and take their sperm soaked pants with them if I wanted to!"  
  
Yuki looked puzzled, looking at Sabbath "how old are you guys?"  
  
"Old enough to know your a whore" Sabbath shrugged, turning and stepping into the office to evade Yuki's swing for a punch.  
  
**  
  
"Open up, your too tight!" Seifer growled, pinning Fuijin to the bed as she bit her lip underneath him. Not because she was holding back a scream, but because she was hiding it. You can't have an orgasm in a school full of little kids running around.  
  
THUD, THUD, THUD!  
  
"Go away, we're busy!" Seifer snapped, not even taking his hands away from Fuijin's wrists.  
  
"You've... gotten... INto... SADISM SEifer..."  
  
"You know it!"  
  
"Yo, you idiots, get your fucking pants on and get the hell out here! The kids are heading for Pandemonium!" came a voice from outside the door.  
  
Seifer sat up, turning to the door "what are you talking about, Zell?!"  
  
"The kids are going to Pandemonium, right? And Novato left after he retired, right? So, there's only one person they know that's in Pandemonium..."  
  
"NANTO!" Fuijin sat up, staring at Seifer.  
  
"So, we can call Nanto, right?"  
  
"YES! Oh my god your a friggen' genius!"  
  
**  
  
"Yuki, Wakimura, what an insanity... From the, town of Shiro, she's about to hit a Chestnut tree... AHHH!!!" Yuki slammed the brakes onto the red car the group was in, making it slam to a halt. Salix lurched forwards, rubbing the back of her head. Ysamla screamed and took a minute to gather herself afterwards. Sabbath landed on Nanto's up front, knocking his head against his.  
  
"Very safe, Yuki. Now we're slammed against a tree and stuck in the middle of Sai, with a huge mountain and hot weather ahead of us. Really safe, Wakimura."  
  
"Hee hee... Moogles!" Yuki jumped up and down, laughing as she got out of the car. Sabbath and Salix heaved a frightened Ysamla out of the car "C'mon, Yam. I guess we're walking, from now on... Now, off to see Celbie Almasy." 


	2. Uh Oh Hotdog!

Ysamla lay sprawled across the Nai hotel bed, asleep, or more, sick of being awake. They had been left to right, and left to right, looking for a woman who had left the city anyways. "Celbie Almasy? Hmm... Yes, I have heard of her. Yup, she left town a week ago!" the toothless old man had said to the tired teenagers, as they were annoyed with the long four hours of searching. Now, Ysamla Dincht and Sabbath Kinnease were more annoyed with Salix, who was more annoyed with her own self.  
  
"LOOK! I said sorry! What do you want me to do?! I didn't know she had already left! How much do you think a gorgeous 28 year old woman that writes for preppy teenagers keeps in contact with her family?" Salix snaps as Sabbath hadn't released his dirty glare.  
  
He smiled, now dropping his mature and gentleman attire, ready to show he really was like his father "come here, sit on my lap, and make out with me. Then, I will forgive you".  
  
"!? ARE YOU INSANE! Ugh, just like a man!" Salix turned around, making her way for the door, when suddenly it burst open and Nanto appeared, followed by an also annoyed looking Yuki.  
  
"Where have you been!? It's been three hours since 8 PM, the time that you two said we'd meet up here again!" Ysamla shot up, wide-awake and angry eyed as she stared at the two adults who made their way into the three- bedded room.  
  
"? Oh, umm... The mechanic..." Nanto smiled hopefully.  
  
"The mechanic says we can't leave until late tomorrow, that the damn car is going to take too much time to fix. Why?!" Yuki snapped, making Ysamla shrink back into the sheets of her bed, whimpering.  
  
"? Now, now, now, children, lets be nice... Looks like there are only three beds..." Nanto muttered, glancing around "and five people."  
  
"I'll 'snuggle' up with Salix and Ysamla, if ya want..." Sabbath laughed drunkly, more likely just remembering something his dad did and mimicking it in his sleepiness.  
  
"No, Sabbath. You can sleep by yourself. Yuki, Ysamla, you guys can sleep together. Salix, crash with me... There, arrangements made, lets all go to sleep" Nanto laughed.  
  
"No, Uncle. I'll be by myself. I'd rather not sleep in a room filled with morons!" Salix turned, speeding through the door and out of sight before Nanto could even reach the doorway. He sighed, turning to Yuki "come on, Wakimura. Nights at Nai aren't as dangerous as many other places, but they aren't safe, either. Lets go find the littlest Almasy..."  
  
BREAK  
  
Sabbath glanced at the clock, frowning. It read 11:30. They had been gone for a half an hour.  
  
"... Zip...? Do you think they are all right out there? It's been so long..." Ysamla frowned, as turned from the bed in front of him to look at him.  
  
He sat up from his laying down position, sighing "I can't give false hope of anything... not how I was taught... You think we were to hard on Sal?"  
  
'Fan-fucking-tastic! He's gonna talk about Salix all night now...' "Of course not! She's an Almasy! She should be able to handle being grudged on!" Ysamla snapped, slightly at herself.  
  
"... Ysamla. You whine all the time, and you say Salix doesn't deserve a break?!" Sabbath shook his head.  
  
"... Bu-... But..." Ysamla broke out in tears, hugging her knees to her chest, "Salix is meant to support us... She can't have a breakdown... Cause, then there is no more support..."  
  
"?! No, wait, I didn't mean to make you cry! Your right! But... Salix still deserves a break..." he moved from his bed, sitting on the edge of hers and hugging her close to him.  
  
"... I guess... But what about you, Sabbath, how do you feel? Don't you think you deserve a break too? I mean, you're always so nice to her, and she still treats you like trash..." Ysamla smiled slyly, still holding her sob act, laying her head on Sabbath's chest.  
  
"You're right... so, I'm giving up on her. I'm not going to try anymore. Tomorrow, we're going home, and we're telling Se- No, Headmaster, right where Salix is."  
  
"Oh, Sabbath, your so brave..." Ysamla smiled in a girlish way, flipping a strand of golden crown hair behind her ear, leaning up and kissing him. Lightly kissing him, a feathery kiss on the lips. As she tried to pull away, he held her there, deepening the kiss into more than light, his tongue sliding over her lips once or twice.  
  
"I see, then. It's like that, huh? You only stayed by my side so that I might go out with you, right? Well, how wrong you are!" from the doorway, which was open anyways, Salix stood, watching the two make out. Sabbath dropped Ysamla on the bed, looking up, wide eyed at Salix.  
  
"You heard us!?" Sabbath did his best from stuttering; which wasn't good.  
  
"Yep. Been here about the part Sam started blubbering. Whelp, I suppose you can't tell my daddy where I am, if you don't know where I am, now can you!?" Salix yelled, turning and then speeding out of the door with her infamous strides. Sabbath stood up, chasing the girl out the door. But, like last time, the young woman had disappeared altogether.  
  
BREAK  
  
"SHE'S WHAT?! Gone?! What do you mean, she disappeared from Nai City Hotel!? Why?! Ask Sabbath!?" Seifer Almasy snapped into the cell phone, while doing his best to hold Fuijin back from ripping the machine apart.  
  
Sabbath Kinnease stood in-between his two parents, both of which stared at him with disappointed eyes. Ysamla Dincht sobbed slightly as Zell whisper- yelled at her, hissing angry words into her ear while Quistis stood behind her daughter angrily. They all stood in a train station, Fuijin and Seifer Almasy upset that their daughter hadn't returned on the Pandemonium Express. Nanto had sent the two other children home by request of they're parents, and was too afraid to come and tell his older brother that his niece was still missing.  
  
"... Sabbath... Where's my daughter?" Seifer slowly turned around, eyes narrowed.  
  
"TELL, NOW, RAGE!" Fuijin snapped as Seifer held his arm around her waist.  
  
"... We were in the hotel room... We umm... Ysamla and me... and Salix came in... We told her we were going home... and then she ran away... Then, Mr. Almasy sent us here on the train..." Sabbath looked down, doing his best to cover himself up.  
  
Seifer yelled, turning and stomping off "FUIJIN, COME! IT'S TIME FOR US TO TAKE MATTERS INTO OUR OWN HANDS! SUMMON RAIJIN, TOO! SHE'S GONE TOO FAR!!!"  
  
Fuijin nodded, pulling out her cell phone. On the other end, there came a confused and muffled voice "Ya know, here, ya know?" "... RAGE!"  
  
BREAK  
  
"It's the fifth inning, 8-5, the Husky's are in the lead by three! This must be one of the first come backs all star Donald-" "Will you turn off that racket!"  
  
Salix snapped at the young dark skinned male that sat across from her in the rusty old truck, as it rumbled through the Ore desert. The boy turned off the radio, smiling at the Almasy "sumtin' wrong, miss?"  
  
"... I can tell you what happens, how the game ends. The Husky's will get one more point, and then the Chinks will gain fifteen points, and that'll be game. This is an old Baseball game, did you know that?" Salix muttered, turning to hang her sweaty forehead out of the rusty and filth covered door, letting wind blow over it.  
  
"Hey, of course I do! This is from three years ago, I know exactly how it ends. The Chinks aren't winning much anymore, and they're my favorite team, so I tune into old baseball games. I try to find a new team all the time, but I can't get away from these Chinks! By the way, my name is Hega, Hega Borrin!"  
  
"No duh, Borrin. Baseball is so 'borin' it's not funny. My name is Salix, Salix Almasy. High Level SeeD Candidate, and Almasy. So, respect me..." Salix, like her father, drew attention and respect, and would never say she was 'humble'. It was such a chubby, ugly word.  
  
"Hmm... You're thirteen, huh?"  
  
"No, fourteen."  
  
"Oh? You're fresh fourteen, then. I'm sixteen. I'm workin' for Anna part time, so I can feed my three little brothers and older sister and her kid, and my poor old Grandma, who is Anna. Rough job..."  
  
"Hmm? I live with my mom and dad, even though I attend a boarding school. My parents are the Headmasters there... I'm kind of running away, but I'm just looking for my aunt right now..."  
  
"STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!" Salix was astounded by this answer. Only a fool calls an Almasy stupid. But, she regained composure after hearing Hega say "enough about me, now how about you?"  
  
He mustn't have heard her the first time, so she repeated it to him, this time that whole story. He was more intoned with himself, but his looks, big buff and dark, and his personality, liking himself more than anything else, reminded her of Raijin and Seifer put together, and she was homesick, so she heard him out.  
  
She was on her way to a gas station in the middle of Ore desert, because that was where dark information circulated. The owner there was Anastasia Borrin, a great grandmother in her fifties that took care of her runaway young daughter, the whore's five children, and oldest and only female girl's son as well. It was said only Hega and Anna were the good one's out of the whole bunch, so this wasn't the first time Salix had heard of Hega Borrin. But, it was the first time she had met him. Hega was known for great skill with machinery, ability to pilot anything, and passion for baseball.  
  
"... What's the latest news at the gas station, Hega?" Salix butted into a story about a baseball game "anything about mysterious people?"  
  
"Actually, yeah, there is somethin' weird going on. They're sayin' that the President of Spiral, that Perry fool, he's got a cute girl locked up in a water filled tank. It's popular cause' she's naked. Isn't that a little kinky?"  
  
"Naked? In a water tank? You mean, like a science experiment?"  
  
"I guess... But, they say that the Quagmire dude jest sits there and watches her at night... As though, waiting for her to do something..."  
  
Salix frowned. Rinoa Heartilly... She had gone missing around a few weeks ago. This girl, this cute girl, it couldn't be Rinoa could it? Rinoa was Zell's, Quistis', Irvine's, and Selphie's friend. No, best friend. This would be something to investigate.  
  
The old truck rumbled up in front of the as usual crowded bar in the middle of nowhere, next to the only road that passed through Ore desert. Salix climbed out of the truck, followed by Hega, who began unloading pop cases immediately as a young woman came out of the bar. The woman was weird looking for a desert setting. Hega, with his covered in dust black skin and hair, overalls, bandanna around the neck, filthy white shirt, cap and goggles looked perfect for the crude desert folk, but this girl was different. She was paler than the moon, except for the fact the freckles sat everywhere on her nose and winging out under her eyes, had shimmering purple eyes, light blue hair that crowned her face, and wore a flowing blue dress, she looked more like somebody you'd see up in Nai mountains.  
  
"Hega, please hurry. Mrs. Borrin will not wait much longer, and neither shall her customers, for their alcohol..." the woman's voice was straight and even, and mature, showing that she was small for her size but in the late teens.  
  
"Okay then, Kega!" Hega said enthusiastic, as though her appearance brightened his day by a little. He was always cheerful anyways. The young woman nodded, turning and walking in.  
  
"Who was that?" Salix asked, watching the young woman.  
  
"Kega. She's sweet when she wants to be... but, she never wants to be. She's purdy, though, and I guess that's why she thinks she can be mean. She's sixteen... She's one of my friends."  
  
"Oh..." 'Hega and Kega? Like... Fuijin and Raijin... Oh, please don't tell me there's gonna be some cocky blonde headed handsome boy with dreams!' Salix frowned, her memory suddenly being jogged from her strange dreams.  
  
"Whose this OG?" came a smooth, yet hateful voice from the porch just as Salix turned her back. 'Oh, no...' Salix sighed, looking at Hega, who was about to laugh "let me guess, you and Kega are like little cronies, and your leader and a idiot who treats you like nothing but you all are still a posse?"  
  
"Uh, yep. Salix Almasy, meet Livid Locksmith, he's also sixteen."  
  
Salix turned around, to face a brown eyed, pale young boy with unkempt spiky brown hair and wearing none other than a... SeeD uniform!  
  
"Excuse me, but where were you authorized to wear that uniform!? For one, my name is Salix, not OG. Do I look like a gangster to you!?" Salix snapped, not noticing the unmistakable resemblance of her father and that boy in the picture with Rinoa Heartilly on his lap.  
  
"Look, you give me respect, for one, and I won't have to cut your damn head off!" the boy leapt off of the porch of the Gas Station "I'm a graduate SeeD of Balamb Garden, thank you very much!"  
  
"... A Garden on a different planet... yea, I guess I see. I'm Salix Almasy..."  
  
"I know, the infamous Seifer Almasy's daughter. He never became a SeeD, and neither will you!"  
  
"He didn't have to be a SeeD, he's now the leader of his own Garden..."  
  
"Yeah, a failure in Squall Leonhart's eyes..."  
  
"Oh yeah, well Leonhart's dead!" Salix refused to believe this was true herself, but she did need a comeback.  
  
"If he was, I wouldn't be following in his foot steps."  
  
"But, you've done so well as Seifer... Wait, hold it, you don't think he's dead either!?"  
  
"Nope, neither Hega nor I think so. Nor Kega, for that matter."  
  
"... Really? You all used weapons, right?"  
  
"Yeah. Kega uses a Pinwheel, go figure, Hega uses his knuckles, and I use none other than the Gunblade."  
  
"... I don't think Squall's dead either... Nor, Saranie... I think all of us might find use in each other..." she smiled evily.  
  
CONTINUED  
  
Notes: Tee hee... Sorry I'm late. School's been a drag. Anyways, I'm gonna try to shorten the stories, so I may post them faster... Well, Bon buh bye!  
  
Kiros: ... Huh?  
  
Red VIII: You mean Bon Voyage?  
  
Me: ... AHH SHAD UP!!! 


	3. Let It Burn

"Please... don't tell me... you think this girl's just another fetish of a government's sick idea of controlling us?" Salix Almasy moaned as her head hit the table in front of the big gruff trucker that sat across from her in the Gas Station / Bar, which Salix had discovered was full of anti government fools, sick drunks, horny drunks, and just plain drunks.  
  
"No... I know exactly who she is. I've seen her with my own two eyes... They say the person in charge of the whole ordeal, or Research Study titled 'G.R.A.C.E', is miss Rinoa Heartilly..." the trucker muttered.  
  
'Yippie. Also, this bar is full of people who either love Rinoa Heartilly or despise the woman. This is getting annoying...' "What did you say your name was?" Salix couldn't ever leave an adult without a little conclusion. It was part of her training, being able to leave an impression.  
  
"The name's Lee. Tilba Lee. People call me T.L.C sometimes... Tilba Lee Crack..." the man sighed, looking down as he slammed his mug of beer onto the table.  
  
"? Oh..." 'Okay, so maybe this time it's gonna be him who leaves the impression...'  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"..." Salix noticed his bare arm. One arm was sleeved with a blue uniform, though this one's sleeve was pulled back, revealing a dragon, which Salix found strangely cool, and a little bit of a red tattoo from under the bottom of the sleeves end. "Hey, what's that? It's above the dragon on your arm...? Is that... a burn!?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, this... I got it about fourteen years ago... I was transporting a 'research' specimen to the Quagmire building; my job was then and still is to be one of their main transporters; and the box suddenly burst open in flame. It left this weird burn that's shaped like a bird on every one of my guys... nobody's ever been able to remove it..." Tilba lifted his sleeve a bit more, showing off a strangely familiar looking red bird, in a burn form.  
  
"... Tilba, wasn't the Quagmire building fourteen years ago Novato Almasy's building still? He was still the president..."  
  
"Hey, you're just a baby and you know that! Pretty good, sweetie. But, Quagmire was still a running campaign back then... They used to be called Jaromaru or sumtin... I didn't come until after the whole sorceress thing, so I wouldn't know. Anyways, it was a different building, but still a place where Perry Quagmire's name thrived."  
  
"So... Where is this building?"  
  
"It WAS in Omigutsinu's town, Shiro, but sadly, or maybe happily, the same specimen I transported there burnt the whole buildin' down! Flames everywhere..."  
  
"... That's, weird..." Salix looked down 'Two fires? By the same thing? I have to find out what this thing is, and who this girl is...' "Mr. Lee... Do you like your job? How much do they pay you to risk your life with dangerous monsters?"  
  
"I hate the people, and they pay me a meager 800 Gil a week... Puts food on the table, I guess..."  
  
"... What if I pay you 80,000 Gil to be my personal bodyguard? In fact, nobody has to know. You could say... You're my boyfriend or something!"  
  
"Boyfriend?! Sweetie, I'm 35 years old! Let's make it your father, and a deals a deal!" Tilba laughed.  
  
"You can transport, right?"  
  
"Transport? Are you kidden' me?! Of course!" he laughed, standing up and gesturing for her to follow, leading her outside. "You know, did your dad ever tell you not to talk to strangers?"  
  
"Yes, which is why I have three other friends to strike you down if you make any sour movements..." Salix noticed Hega, Kega, and Livid following closely.  
  
"Ahh, I see... Hmm, here we are! I spent my entire savings renovating her... She's a couple years old, I found her here in rubble around two years ago. Miss Ana said that it was abandoned by a strange bunch of foreigners a long time a ago, so I got it for free!" Salix stared absent-mindedly at the space ship in front of her.  
  
It had faded red that looked pink and yellow that looked white, and was shaped like a wolf. There was a sticker near the tail that said 'Naughty' on it, and it was old. There were also a few new black spray paints of a woman, dragon, and course the bird that obviously represented Tilba's tattoos. It looked like an old piece of junk that had been made best of. An old space ship.  
  
"Is it... safe?" Salix said, backing up into an equally amazed Hega.  
  
"I've been driven it around for a while. Should work... I named it 'Naughty Dog' for the old sticker I found with it and it's shape" Tilba said proudly.  
  
"Only you, Mr. Lee..."  
  
"Hey, that doesn't sound right. Call me Tilba."  
  
BREAK  
  
"Okay, so tell me this... We're on a space ship, with a gray haired witch face and old drunken man, none of which we know is safe?" Livid Locksmith, moaned as he sat across from his friends Hega and Kega, Kega who relatively never spoke, but Hega who was sure to answer.  
  
"Yep! Hey, be nice, Livid! Salix don't seem so bad... Hey, I thought you played with all the girl's?" Hega asked, confused. They sat in the back, away from the pilot's seat and Salix and Tilba.  
  
"... Hega, you have a lot to learned... You stay away from the insane ones" Livid nodded.  
  
Kega sat up "she's fourteen, perv!"  
  
"Oh, yeah, that reason too..." Livid stood up, walking towards Salix, who was watching Tilba move the controls and barely listening to Tilba's old war stories.  
  
"Hey, what are we getting paid, anyways?" Livid asked "if Tilba's getting' paid, why not us?"  
  
"Because, your payment will be the safe recovery of Squall Leonhart. I'm to suppose Cid isn't very good of a leader in these old years, so you all must want a new leader, like Squall, right?" she shot him the 'showed you' glance he hated.  
  
"Look, we should at least get some money!"  
  
"Okay... Split 900 Gil between the three of you."  
  
"WHAT!? That's too cheap!"  
  
"Look, I'm fourteen, I'm spending my life's savings on Tilba as is... and daddy's not made of money, ok? Garden needs more money than you can shake a stick at as is... You're in, or you're out, Livid..."  
  
"Miss, I don't want your money... Okay, I do... but, let's lower the price... how about 10,000 Gil?"  
  
"Okay, lower it by 10,000 Gil. 70,000 Gil, then."  
  
"No, I mean lower it to 10,000 Gil. Hun, I won't take away your money... Besides, you might pass another money grubber you need and you'll need to give them more money, so let's leave the money at that..."  
  
"Tilba, thank you..." she was nearly speechless, at a slight.  
  
Livid sighed, shaking his head "okay, we'll do it for free, then... Make me look bad...!"  
  
Before he could realize it, he had two arms around him, and Salix's face buried on his chest "oh, thank you, Livid!"  
  
"Get off of me, runt!"  
  
BREAK  
  
'You're the reason I live,  
You're the reason I die,  
You're the reason I live,  
When I break down and cry...'  
  
The young girl lay dormant in the water prison, surrounded by wires and such to keep an eye on all bodily functions. Her long blonde hair flowed around her cool blue face as her eyes opened slightly, a blank and tired green, soulless as if something pulled all feeling through the beautiful green jewels. They fell upon a black haired, pale girl through the cylinder glass, outside... How the captured freedom would have done anything to be outside of the experiment capsule.  
  
"Her eyes! Her eyes! Tell me, has He awakened as well?!" the black haired girl in the white lab coat on the outside ran to the back to the room to a companion tank. A scientist stood in the back there, examining the male.  
  
"... His mouth twitched, but other than that, He hasn't shown any signs of awakening... What made them do this!? Their brain waves are racing! Are they dreaming!?" the scientist exclaimed excitedly.  
  
"No..." the black haired woman moved back to the tank with Her in it. The woman's eyes narrowed "No growth in all of these years... thirteen, right?... No signs of evolution, need for food, space, or oxygen... Though, they are still alive... how strange... Maybe their life support, the one that seems to come from within them, twitched... or, maybe they can sense an outside world..."  
  
"... Miss Heartilly, Mr. Quagmire needs you upstairs..." one of the scientists called.  
  
Rinoa's eyes narrowed more at the girl in the tank "it's your fault! You're the one whose keeping His mind hostage! Let Him go!"  
  
The eyes gently shut again, as a few bubbles escaped the mouth.  
  
'I want your love,  
Let's break the walls between us,  
Don't make it tough  
I'll put away my pride...'  
  
BREAK  
  
"Here we are!" 'Naughty Dog' came to land on a huge hill, overlooking the small village of Shiro. As Salix leapt out of the escape hatch of the old space ship, she was a bit confused at the site of un-befuddled villagers. Usually, in small towns like this, the site of space ships really confused a soul. She followed Livid Locksmith out into the streets of the town, before looking behind her and realizing only Tilba was following. She stopped suddenly, looking around "where Hega and Kega!?"  
  
Livid looked behind him, sighing at the stupidity of the girl "you have to choose three people as a group! You want Hega and Kega, or me and Tilba?"  
  
"... Oh, yeah, that's right!" she laughed "sorry, I've never had any team members that was more than three. I usually traveled with my friends, Sabbath and Ysamla... Okay, I guess this group is okay."  
  
'Ysamla... Sabbath... I hope their okay, that their parent's didn't trash them...' Salix thought solemnly as she noticed she had no clue where they were going. She turned to Tilba "why are we in Shiro? I told you that if there wasn't a Quagmire building here anymore, I don't want to be here."  
  
"I know. Livid wanted me to come here really quickly. He has to do a few things... That's what he said. He said the reason he was here wasn't just because Hega had to come and help out his grandma, but because..."  
  
"Because we, me and Kega and Hega, are working for Omigutsinu Garden, which is located here. I have to check in and tell them I'm taking my 'vacation'" Livid interrupted, to Salix's horror.  
  
"!!! GARDEN!? I- I can't go there!"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Selphie and Irvine own it! They're friends with my dad! Dad will catch me, and he won't let me do this! I have to prove it to him that I'm not just a little girl..." Salix looked down, frowning.  
  
"HOLD IT! I'm helpin' a run away!?" both Livid and Tilba stared at Salix with wide eyes.  
  
"Look, I'm your boss, so we aren't going to Garden and that's final!"  
  
Livid and Tilba shook their heads "we beg to differ" they moved in on Salix from both sides, cramming her between them "we can't help a runaway. You're going back to daddy..."  
  
"HEY! Get off of me! Leave me alone!... Hold it, what's up with Garden!?" Salix stopped, staring in horror at a sheet of smoke and flames that burned on a huge building a way's off... Shiro Garden.  
  
CONTINUED  
  
Noteys: I'm sorry, I've been spelling Fujin's name wrong... I figured that out when I restarted FF8 last night. Sowwy. Neways, lyrics from Aerosmith, Angel. Characters of Square Enix's Final Fantasy 8, some of my own. In fact, most of my own. 


	4. Death Is Complex

"What the hell!?" Livid turned from Salix Almasy, seeing the flames as well "Th- that's Shiro Garden!"  
  
That's when Salix realized why there wasn't any response from the villagers; there weren't any. But, there was blood streamed out on the streets. Salix gulped as her throat felt heavy "IRVINE! SELPHIE!!!"  
  
She turned, pushing past Livid, as all three took off in top speed for Shiro Garden "Please... Be okay... Irvine... Selphie... Sabbath..."  
  
They all stumbled an all too real scene. Shiro Garden members were strewn out across the floor, in their own pools of blood. Also, were the bodies of faceless villagers, their skinned faces sitting next to their heads. The women, men, babies... all of Garden or Shiro, dead. Salix stopped, feeling her fingers turn to ice. She scanned the body's with expressionless eyes, afraid to death of if they might land on a cowboy, cheerful woman, or young red haired boy.  
  
"S- Salix?... Di- did you d- do this?" Salix looked up to greet the eyes of Sabbath, and behind him Selphie and Irvine.  
  
"N- no! Why would I?!" Salix backed up, shaking her head as her foot sickeningly splashed on a body-less head.  
  
"You hated the fact that you saw me and Ysamla together... So, you murdered them... The villagers, the staff, the students, and the SeeD... and now your holding one of Balamb's SeeD's hostage!"  
  
"...? What!? Oh, Livid! No, no..."  
  
"She's not holding anybody hostage! We're together, okay!? That's all!" Livid stepped forward, hate in his eyes.  
  
"... Together? Is he speaking the truth, Salix?" Sabbath ignored all of Livid's other words.  
  
"What?! No, of course not! Look, calm down Sabbath..." she stepped towards him, dropping her gunblade on the ground. The weapon cracked, and broke, with a hollow sound, like one would imagine a heart breaking to sound.  
  
"Stay back!" Sabbath drew his rifle and aimed at Salix, even to the shock of his parent's in the background. She still stepped closer, tears in her eyes "you can't believe I did this... I need you to drop the weapon... Sabbath..."  
  
"... I- you always were insane! Don't hurt me or my parents!" his finger's fumbled to cock the gun.  
  
She still advanced "don't hurt yourself... Please, no good comes out of it... The dead get off easy... it's those who are left behind are left to deal with pain... There's been too much death here already... Sabbath..."  
  
He dropped the gun on the ground, as fired and shot off in a different direction, into the Garden, not harming anybody. He fell on Salix, who was only half a foot away, sobbing on her shoulder.  
  
"... Salix... that was very brave..." Irvine approached slowly, as every body else stayed behind and caught their breaths. She smiled up at him "... Irvine... Thank you... What happened here...?"  
  
"We don't know. We just got here a few minutes ago... Look's like the place was attacked... By what, though?"  
  
"We just got to Shiro, Sir. Salix here was the first to see the flames on Garden, therefore we came straight here. We just found this scene..." Livid stepped forwards, saluting Irvine in the proper SeeD fashion.  
  
"... Like this... But, no, there are more bodies than a few minutes before when we got here... In fact, I just talked to the girl over there as soon as we came in!" Irvine looked at a body, astounded "so, whatever did this is still..."  
  
"Here? Yes, yes it is..." came a deep, gruff evil like voice as a huge shadow approached the group.  
  
BREAK  
  
"?! What and the hell are you!?" Selphie ran behind Irvine, clutching his trench coat as she stared up at monster that had came up from behind her. It was as huge as the room, with shaggy brown long fur. The beast had a tiger shaped face, and walked on all fours like a monkey, on it's knuckles. Two long white fang's glistening in blood hung out of the monster's mouth, and a lazar gun was strapped to the beast's back.  
  
"I am called Jiango... I was sent by Jaromaru to destroy this Garden, as my sister Vencita was sent to Sai's Garden in Kiba city. That is far more than a village, so the death rate will be higher... Hmm, she gets to have fun... But here, I can take out the infamous Salix Almasy, Livid Locksmith, and the headmaster's son!" Jiango raised a paw, swinging at Salix and Sabbath, who cringed together as they were weaponless. As Salix waited for a huge mass of fur and bone to fall on her head, but her wait was canceled when she heard the sound of a blade clashing on the paw. She opened her eyes as she was showered with blood, seeing Livid slicing Jiango's paw off.  
  
"LIVID!" she stood up, looking around, and to her horror seeing her broken gunblade. Sabbath wasn't too pleased with being dropped and hearing Livid's name being called out.  
  
"Shit, Salix! Hurry up and get a weapon!" Hega and Kega ran up from behind, flailing fists and blades along side Livid. Sabbath picked up his rifle, and Tilba pulled out his spear, Selphie and Irvine amazingly yanking their old weapons out of nowhere, all except poor alone Salix heading in for an all out attack.  
  
"I need a new weapon... One I think I can use..." Salix looked around quickly, her eyes falling on a staff in a dead member's hands "Aha! Livid, Tilba, battle stations, every body else retreat!"  
  
BREAK  
  
Livid placed a well-evened attack, as did Tilba, while Salix cast cure on a tired yellow health Livid. She herself was running low, at only 102 of health, but she was saving for next turns limit break. Jiango himself was running low, but far higher than any of the other three put together.  
  
"Not bad, for humans... But, try this!" Jiango slammed his paw on the ground, sending a shock wave as it slammed against Livid, making him fall over at 0 health. Salix got a great rush of pain as well, even though the attack didn't touch her. She decided this was because she had to hold onto her limit break for a second so she could revive Livid, which she did.  
  
"Okay, now, try this for starters. Dearest!" Salix tossed her staff in the air like she would for a gunblade after a turn, closing her fingers together and saying a prayer softly, as everybody in the party was healed completely from health that was taken from Jiango, who howled with pain as the staff was driven into him and then flew back into Salix's hands, bringing MP along with it.  
  
"Pretty good, little Dogma! Hmm, speaking of Dogma... Dogma!" Tilba played through his limit break, which where he sent out a bunch of random attacks in a stream that smashed against Jiango with fits of 520 attack damage on average.  
  
"DAMN ALL OF YOU!!!" Jiango roared as he lunged and smashed his fangs on Livid, taking a huge chunk out of Livid's health.  
  
"Three limit breaks in a row? Aren't you unlucky! SCORN!" Livid took his gunblade, flinging it like a boomerang as it landed smack dab on the center of Jiango's head, gathering energy from that point. Livid then dived forwards, snatching up his gunblade, taking an uppercut from the forehead, doing the vast amount of damage of around 15000. From that point, Jiango fell, and the battle was won. Or, so thought...  
  
"Thanks... Salix... That last limit break was... replenishing..." Livid nodded, stretching and wiping blood off of his gunblade "good ol' Scorn, it always did come through for me."  
  
"? Hey, Livid... That's the first time you said anything nice to me..." Salix smiled softly as she approached Livid, wiping blood off of a cut on his forehead.  
  
"Hey, no pretty girl mushy gushy stuff, ya hear!? Just continue fighten' like that!" he turned, putting away his gunblade and starting to walk off.  
  
"Hmm... Ha, I smell young love... How about you?" Tilba laughed, following Livid along with Hega and Kega, who nodded.  
  
Selphie giggled, trotting over to Salix, hugging her "you saved us! All! Thanks you three... Your father will be sure to hear about this!"  
  
"... I'm caught, aren't I? End of my adventures..."  
  
"I'm afraid so... but, hey, when you graduate, I'll get you a rocket launcher!" Selphie laughed. "Anywho... Hey, I wonder what that lazar cannon was for?! I didn't ever see Jiango use it once... Did you?"  
  
"... The cannon?" Salix frowned. That cannon was an X6150, a cannon that used a little beam that would kill the first thing it hit. It was programmed for only one shot, and to go off when the thing it was attached to pulse stopped... Which should be, for Jiango, right about...  
  
"SEPHY!!!" Irvine dived out of nowhere, shoving both of the girl's out of the way. Selphie and Salix realized that while they were talking, the cannon was starting and aiming at Selphie Kinnease, which only Irvine noticed. The red beam it shot out, small and narrow but deadly, and straight through Irvine's chest.  
  
BREAK  
  
"NO!!!" Salix threw herself on Selphie to keep the screaming now widow from running smack dib into the cannon's beam as well. After what seemed like eternity while having to painfully watch Irvine's shocked and dieing face, the fallen member finally was swept off of his feet and onto the ground, never to be a pervert again.  
  
Salix, without realizing it, let Selphie go. The brown haired woman threw herself on her husband's dead body, shaking him, as though trying to threaten him to come back to life. "... No, you can't! This can't happen! We survived this! I know we did! You have to live too, Irvine!" she mourned, falling onto his chest.  
  
Salix started to walk towards Selphie, before her own pain caught her. She fell to her knees, holding her sides as she tipped over, sobbing helplessly. Irvine... He was a family that was chosen, he, Selphie, Zell, Quistis, daddy, and mom. They were her family, one she chose. They were closer to Salix than Salix's own grandfather, aunt, uncle, or any other relative. Now, one was gone, due to bad placement in standing...  
  
"... You made it, he didn't" Salix looked up at Livid's slow, cranky voice as he placed his hand on Selphie's shoulder, sighing and looking down.  
  
BREAK  
  
Salix walked slowly through the tiny halls of 'Naughty Dog', her head tipped down and eyes watery. Just a hours before, she had nearly been caught, discovered a massacre, nearly shot, attacked, been complimented by the least likely, lost a dear friend, and buried that dear friend. Selphie had placed Irvine's hat on the shady, tree covered and on the lee side of a stone grave, along with a daffodil. She had then turned to Salix, and asked where they were going now. When Salix had replied 'To Quagmire's building, as they are the real Jaromaru, and I'm getting revenge and answers', Selphie said 'call me Selphie Tilmit, cause I'm going with you. First, we have to save Quistis and Zell.'  
  
Salix stopped in a huge room she was yet to see. It was like a pent house, really. It even had a little bar. There were floor to ceiling sized windows on one side, too, revealing a blue night sky and ocean the 'Naughty Dog' was passing. Sitting on one of the railings next to a window was a young boy who had lost his father.  
  
"Sabbath?... Your mom says she's not going to tell Seifer of our whereabouts, so we're going to get revenge for your dad... This means, it's not all over yet..." Salix approached Sabbath, as he sat with his head on the glass.  
  
"Okay... I guess... Somebody has to pay... But, revenge is so futile... Why can't fighting just stop?"  
  
"I... don't know... Do you expect me to know why?" she walked over, hoisting herself up onto a railing opposite of him, scooting in so that she was between his legs, and laying her head on his chest.  
  
"... Why do you fight?" he his fingers fall on her shoulder.  
  
"I fight because... it's what I believe in... I think that as long as one fights, one can still continue to thrive, right?... If I didn't fight, I wouldn't have a purpose, and I would never get an answer unless a persevere..." she nuzzled his neck, pushing closer.  
  
"... Hmm... Inspiration, La'lala... Reason, Buta'Ma... Perseverance, Tuto'Nei... and Intriguing, Plunk... the four spirits of Tatsume Island..." Sabbath looped his arms around her waist.  
  
"? Tatsume... isn't that an island in Spiral?" she looked up "and, La'lala is one of my GFs, as is Plunk..."  
  
"You remember where you got them?"  
  
"... No, I just found 'em in my inventory once for my Birthday... I assumed my dad gave them to me as a Birthday present..."  
  
He shook his head "no, I gave them to you as a Birthday present, I snuck them into your inventory one night, and never left a note. Too shy, I guess... The night before your birthday, I made a trip to Tatsume, and fought La'lala, Buta'Ma, and Tuto'Nei for Plunk's challenge... Afterwards, I was awarded the siblings of the island GFs. But, they came in two sets, the two older brothers together, Reason and Perseverance, and the younger brother and second youngest sister together, Plunk and La'lala. I gave you Plunk and La'lala... They are used together, right?"  
  
"Yes, they're attack is called 'Half Full'..."  
  
"And my GF's attack is called 'Half Empty'... I bet if we used them in a battle at the same time, they all would summon somebody amazing, because it's completely full..."  
  
"Yeah, maybe... Thanks, Sabbath..." she smiled, kissing his cheek, then his lips, holding the kiss, until she felt his hand curve around her backside.  
  
"Ow! I thought we were heading somewhere good with that!" Sabbath rubbed his cheek, laughing slightly from the slap.  
  
"I ain't that easy, you know!" she leaned back, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"... Hey, guys..." Selphie walked in from the doorway, smiling slightly at two, heading over and wrapping her arms around them "better be prepared... with GF and all... We're nearly to... Kiba City... and we can see flames... Godspeed, I hope we get to them in time..." Selphie burst in tears.  
  
Salix smiled, lifting Selphie's chin "Seph... sumthin' keeps tellin' me, Quistis and Zell won't fall too easily..." 'It's Ysamla I'm worried about.'  
  
CONTINUED  
  
Notes: Ya'll know who I own and who I don't...! O.o I smell... Bacon. And another character death? Or, is that just me? Hnnn...   
  
Penguin Aide: It doesn't hurt to put SPOILER when you write a spoiler.  
  
Me: FO ME IT DOES! I AM EVIL AND I AM LAST TA SAY I CHEATS! 


	5. Pain Is Dangerous

The 'Naughty Dog' dived straight into the sea, all of it's standing passengers hitting the ceiling hard. Tilba flipped on the Boat Mode, changing the 'Naughty Dog' from sky worthy to sea worthy. Kiba was just a little island city off of the country of Sai, and it competed with Nai for Sai's biggest city. It was a bit big, yes, but nothing like Pandemonium. It was kind of like Ore, smaller than some but bigger than a town. But, tonight, the entire light blue and navy city was in huge flames.  
  
"... Fire user?" Salix asked as she stared hard out at the scene.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not. Kiba runs a lot on electrical currents, so the fire might be from lose cables in the destruction..." Livid answered, standing up and checking his GFs again. He was equipped with Bahamut and Odin, his favorites. Hega had the Brothers, while Kega had Shiva. Salix had La'lala with Plunk and Hades; Ice, Lightening, and Water users. Sabbath was equipped with Buta'Ma with Tuto'Nei, all he needed, while Selphie held Siren and Diablos, Tilba preferred to be GF less.  
  
"Otay then, kiddies, we're headin' in for a dock. It's suggested that either you hide behind somethin', put on a seatbelt, or bend over and kiss your butt buh bye!" Tilba laughed, as everyone took his first two suggestions. The Naughty Dog crashed through a wall, then up onto the sand, reminding Selphie of a certain time in Dollet. But, unfortunately...  
  
CRASH! Hega's seatbelt wasn't really buckled the entire way. He rolled over the control panels and through the glass front window, off of the hood and nearly twenty feet off into the soft sand. Salix and Livid both fought over the first to go through Hega's shattered imprinted hole, Livid winning. He fell off of the hood and next to Hega, who shot up and grinned, standing "now that was refreshing before a battle!"  
  
Salix landed next to Hega a split second after Livid, amazed "... How did you do that?!"  
  
Livid laughed "Hega's made of steel! Now, lets choose a party and save Ms. Trepe... and that other guy."  
  
"It's Mrs. Dincht now, Livid... Okay, the highest level here is me!" Salix jumped up, grinning. Level 28 wasn't bad, even though it was low compared to Selphie 89.  
  
"No, Tilmit's the highest level... So, she's defiantly in the group. I'll bring up the rear, I guess, so that'll be our group" Livid said, walking behind Selphie. He was level 27.  
  
"Okay, then. Umm... Sabbath, Tilba, and Kega, you'll be the next group!" Salix said hastily, turning to run ahead. They were feeling way too lazy for the current situation. Hega complained, but while running off Salix explained to him she's not sending a guy who flew through the window on a mission.  
  
BREAK  
  
"What's this things name?" Livid asked, attacking the monster that the three had encountered.  
  
"This? This is a Flan... Here, it's Flan. Where you come from, it's Blobra, right?" Salix answered, casting fire on the blue Flan.  
  
"No, Jiango's sister, the one attacking now... What did he say it's name was?" Livid asked, as the Flan finally died. They were in a hallway of Kiba Garden, heading for the top, the office so they could check on Quistis and Zell.  
  
"It's Vencita... right?" Selphie answered his question, turning slowly around with a strange feeling that she was being watched.  
  
"THAT'S RIGHT!" Selphie was right.  
  
BREAK  
  
"Why is it always me these things attack!?" Selphie turned around to the huge snake in front of her. It was a snake, poison green and long, except instead of a head, it had a woman's upper body. Long blonde hair fell over the mutated face as the monster leaned forwards, hissing "well, well, well... More food, I presume?"  
  
"HOLD IT! SELPHIE TILMIT!" a red haired woman in uniform raced forwards, cocking her gun and pointing it at Selphie "you are supposed to be dead! What did Jiango do if he didn't destroy you!?"  
  
"He was destroyed!" Livid stepped forwards, pulling out his gunblade "got a problem with it?!"  
  
"Well... Zell's dead, Chasity, so we just take out Quistis and Selphie, and then we'll have taken them all out!" a black haired woman ran up on the other side of Vencita, nodding.  
  
"Your right, Whitney... Let's fight!" a three on three battle lunged.  
  
BREAK  
  
"Hold it... What do you mean by taking all out!?" Salix said, a pestering question on her mind as the woman named Whitney finally fell, and the three heroes focused now on Chasity.  
  
Chasity answered, recovering from an attack from Selphie's weapon "Miss Rinoa says that the specimen's calling out to people... so, we are destroying the last people he's so intoned with he can reach through telepathy! So far, now only Quistis and Selphie are left!"  
  
"People he's intoned with...? Who are they?" Selphie asked, curing from an attack from the giant Vencita.  
  
"Oh, you, Irvine Kinnease, Zell Dincht, Quistis Trepe, and Seifer Almasy..."  
  
"... All of those except Selphie and Quistis are gone?" Livid asked, lunging at Chasity.  
  
"Yes..." Chasity said, her eyes catching Salix's, who was whiter than a ghost.  
  
"Se- Seifer Almasy is... gone?" she stuttered.  
  
"YES!" Chasity cackled, attacking Salix hatefully, as though the girl didn't just get an experience of pain.  
  
"No... no... no... Daddy... he's not... dead!" Salix dropped her staff, falling on her knees, then passing out.  
  
BREAK  
  
"Salix? Salix? Salix... Wake up..." Salix opened her eyes softly to the face of Livid, worried and sweaty.  
  
"Livid... Where am I?" she sat up, gathering the familiarity of the hallway she passed out in. Vencita the snake lay in the corner, chopped to bits and smelling. Chasity and Whitney were gone, no sign they were ever here.  
  
"We never moved from the current place... Selphie went to look for Quistis and her daughter..."  
  
"!!! Sam! Where's Ysamla!?" she tried to stand up, yet fell onto Livid helplessly.  
  
"Ow... Eh, heh... I mean, uh, Ysamla...? I don't know, Selphie went to look for them."  
  
'Ysamla... traitor... will betray... all... Seifer... not lost... Ysamla... know where...' Salix remembered the stuttering voice of a young man in her dreams; those words, they were horrifying... So were the words of so many nights before. For a month now, Salix has been having dreams where she was running through darkness, a woman's voice calling to her, telling her to seek her 'destiny', too find the lost flame... none of this Salix understood. She was so caught up in thought that it took her a moment to realize a hand was sliding up her leg.  
  
"! Livid..." she looked at him slowly, confused.  
  
"Hm? Oh, sorry!" he yanked his hand away, dropping Salix on the ground in the process.  
  
"... Okay... Where did Whitney and Chasity go to?" she actually hoped Livid would keep talking about the hand on leg thing, but still wanted to change the subject by instinct. She hated the fact that she was a woman who liked to play hard to get when she wanted to be gotten.  
  
"Chasity took Whitney and booted when you sliced Vencita to bits... By the way, what was that?" Livid asked excitedly. This girl was getting more interesting by the minute.  
  
"... ? What do you mean?" Salix asked.  
  
"You fell out, and then all of the sudden black rings came out of nowhere and chopped the snake to stake bites."  
  
"?... I don't think that had anything to do with me, Livid... I dun remember summoning any magic, and that's never happened before..." they both looked down, awkwardly.  
  
"SAL!" Salix looked up quickly, before finding that there was a bright orange and yellow streak coming straight at her. She stood up just in time to catch Ysamla, who flew onto her and shoved her onto the ground, sobbing "DADDY! WE HAD TO LEAVE DADDY BEHIND! DID YOU SAVE DADDY!?"  
  
"... Oh..." Salix looked at Vencita sadly 'Zell's dead. That's what Whitney said... She also said my dad was dead... I refuse to believe this!'  
  
"... You didn't..." Ysamla asked, her eyes dimming from their brilliance.  
  
"... No... not in time..." Salix sighed sadly "Sam, Seifer's gone too..."  
  
"..." she just fell onto her friend's shoulder, a sobbing heap.  
  
BREAK  
  
Salix laid against the glass window, sobbing. 'Why do we fight?... I... can't fight any more... Too many people get hurt!' she thought, glancing at the staff that she had pried out of dead fingers. Daddy...? Mom? Where's she? Is it worth it? I should have died too? What can I do now? What about Garden? Where are Raijin and Rira? Am I alone now...? All of these questions zoomed through her head.  
  
"... Salix?" Livid entered the pent house like room, turning to the sad looking girl in the window. "... Quistis says Ysamla is fine, and so is she. Everybody's okay, kay? Now, it's 12:05... Go to bed."  
  
'Why?! Why do I have to?! Tonight, so many people can't sleep...! I never want to sleep, eat, be happy again...' Salix thought, but just muttered "... you're the one whose also awake..."  
  
"Tilba put me on night shift... I have to guard the ship... We're still on Kiba, you know, monsters everywhere..." Livid sighed, walking over and leaning on the railing next to Salix.  
  
"... Let me help..." Salix said, almost in a whisper form. She knew. Right this moment, she was staring at the black sea that clashed against the white shore, in the blue of moon struck night.  
  
"... Okay, if you won't sleep, I can't make you..." he shrugged, staring out at the shore.  
  
"... Thanks" Livid was so much different than any other man she had known, except for maybe her dad. Irvine or Zell would have carried her into her room, and locked the door when they left. Sabbath might even suggest staying in the room to make her feel better. But Livid was like her dad, worried but not really going to show that.  
  
"Hmph... Salix, you'll still fight..." he wasn't asking.  
  
"No, I won't... I can't... Even some monsters have families... and today, people's families were destroyed, by the millions..."  
  
"And, if we don't fight against that, Jaromaru will continue to work in this manner, killing all who get in the way..." Livid stood up straight, the moon catching his figure, making him look that much bigger.  
  
"... Livid... about earlier... you were rubbing my leg..."  
  
"Uh... it was habit..."  
  
"?... Was it?" she sat up straighter, scooting over and pressing her nose against his.  
  
He leaned back, shocked "... You're... young..."  
  
"And, so are you..."  
  
He wrapped his arms around her, letting her rest her head on his chest "... why are you doing this???"  
  
"You remind me of... My dad..."  
  
"Then, you know not to take this farther..." he let go, turning away from her. She hoisted herself up onto his back, rubbing his shoulders. He flipped around, meeting her lips. It was accidental, never an intention by either, but it wasn't regretted. When he moved, she fell down, and being higher than him, she fell on him, and his lips. He slid his hands up her back, holding her close as she forgot all of her cruel intentions of teasing by not using her tongue, groping, or moaning tricks.  
  
A half a minute passed of stillness, when finally Livid jerked away, letting her fall to the ground. He then turned, walking over and sitting down on a couch "sorry, tots, but I prefer my women little, attractive, sane, and sexually active."  
  
"But... Livid... I don't believe in true love, but I also don't believe in kissing without getting what's coming to you... Or, I guess your too wuss to handle it..." she giggled, pulling herself up onto the railing. He stood up sharply, turning to her with anger and hate in his eyes "WHAT?"  
  
"I said you were a wuss... I mean, that's the reason you didn't try to go further... You didn't want me to hurt you, huh?" she teased.  
  
He pushed himself forwards, so quickly it was as if he was gliding. He leaned on her leg "... I want you, that's why, and I ain't used to that..."  
  
"...? Huh?" she leaned back now a little scared as he leaned forwards harder.  
  
He slid his hand under her hair, kissing her softly "12:12... Make a wish..."  
  
Ding Saved by the bell. Before he could touch her in any other way, the doors opened sharply, making him jump back. Luckily, the incomer was too sleepy to see what was going on between Almasy and Locksmith. Ysamla walked in lazily, rubbing her eyes. She stopped, seeing Salix "Sal, your awake too?"  
  
Salix nodded, relieved, but the relief sunk away when somebody entered in behind Ysamla. Sabbath. She had forgotten about him... She was too intoned with Livid, hearing such words coming out of him, and now her wish was complete; both boys would duke it out and she'd be left with the winner. Hell, she was shallow, as long as they were cute what would she care?  
  
Sabbath looked from Salix, whose colors, red of embarrassment and white of fright, clashed confusedly, to Livid, who stood a ways off with his head down and innocent look on his face. 'He knows...' Salix thought, moaning in her head.  
  
"Hey, what's with the long faces? You all are way too sad, do you know that?" Ysamla stepped forwards, noticing Livid, who looked up to greet her eyes. Her tan face faded into pink, blushing and flirty "... H- hi... My names Ysamla, I don't believe we've met..."  
  
'NO! SAM, DON'T!' Salix's face grew red, and hot. Ysamla was about to strike again. This time, she'd strike Livid, and Salix wanted Livid.  
  
Salix smiled slightly at the sight; when Ysamla tried to shake hands with Livid, Livid just nodded at her and backed up. 'Score for Salix'  
  
BREAK  
  
"Okay, well, see you around Livid! You're a very interesting guy!" Ysamla giggled as she left the room, heading back for bed. Now it was around 2 AM, and Salix was in love. Ysamla had been asking Livid about himself for the past hour, and Sabbath's lap had been her seat. She wanted to see if Livid would get jealous, so she sat on Sabbath's lap and let him play with a few body parts she otherwise would have slapped him for. She was a little horny from everything he kept touching.  
  
"Okay..." Livid had barely said anything to Ysamla. He realized she was just admiring his body while she talked, and hated women like this. Most of the time, he glared at Salix.  
  
"... Hmm... Uh..." Sabbath's face was bright red, but he was still yawning and passing out. Salix stood up, letting Sabbath's head fall over, as he was now fully asleep.  
  
"Why did you do that?" Livid asked as Salix turned to leave. She looked at Sabbath, and then gestured for Livid to follow.  
  
"Livid... Sabbath... I... We're kind of together..." Salix shrugged, walking through the door and shutting it, standing there as though making sure Sabbath wouldn't come out.  
  
"I see..." Livid looked down, gulping.  
  
"... But, I want you... more..." she leaned over, running her fingers through his hair, making him jump in shock.  
  
"... D-... do you?" he said, scared of the answer.  
  
"I don't know... be nice to see, though..." she shrugged, kissing him deeply. How her mood switched was appalling, but she was Fujin's kid.  
  
"..." He didn't break the kiss, but leaned into it, wrapping his arms around her waist. She gulped, feeling a tongue run past her lips. But, more, she heard a few noises. It was an unzipping sound. She wanted to pull away, yell at him, or at least make him stop, but then again she didn't want to, she wanted to see what happened. She felt his hand glide up her dress, grip her undergarments, and slide them down. She wiggled in his grip, trying to escape, but suddenly melted when something warm entered her, sending a sensation through her body.  
  
CONTINUE  
  
Notes: I can say nusing, except for please keep reading...? So much tragedy in life... Waaah. ( Neways, thank you, Sorceress Venus, your reviews really have kept me writing. I'm always eager to see what people say about my work, I don't even care if I get flamed. And, letgo... Eh hee. Well, you see, I reread the chapters after they were posted on fanfic.net, and I realized: I need to start reading the chapters! O.O They took out the little stars I used as breakers, and therefore they were confusing. Now they have breakers, so you can tell when things are changing. Hee hee... If you will, reread the chapters, and they'll make more sense now. 


	6. Young Love

'Look to the stars and see the next light...  
Now your journey may end in a crashing flight...  
Sex is not a game, Almasy...  
Do not toy with the strings of fate,  
For if they are undone,  
You may be lost for the rest of your life...  
Now, awaken, and do your best to stay on track!  
After all,  
Men are the head,  
But women are the neck,  
And the head needs the neck to turn...  
Hee hee hee...'  
  
Salix Almasy sat up in the familiar, room of many identical ones in the Naughty Dog. But, something just wasn't right... She was a little cold on her left, but warm on her right, and she didn't have any clothes on. Salix looked to her right, jumping slightly and gripping the rim of the covers as her eyes fell on Livid, one hand around her waist and fast asleep. She shook her head, remembering last night. "How did I do that? Could I?... Poor Sabbath... damn, I hope he used a condom... daddy will kill me if I get pregnant- daddy..." she looked down, climbing over to the side of the bed, finding her feet suddenly interesting. Hot tears fell down her eyes, as she held the cover tighter. Was daddy gone? No, was Seifer gone? Was mom? No, was Fujin? Was Raijin, Rira, and the entire Garden gone like Kiba's and Shiro's? If that wasn't true, that meant the voice that had been in her head... was right, and Ysamla, she was really a traitor. Could she be trusted?  
  
"... Salix... I'm... sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry, you seemed to enjoy it last night, so I didn't stop... I mean, I... I'd imagine that you're sore. It was your first time, wasn't it...?" Salix looked over, seeing Livid awake with a worried look on his face.  
  
"Livid... What the hell do you speak of?" she asked, confused. She then realized she had been sobbing. That's not right... Salix Almasy never sobbed... she could be held against a hundered foot flame by a giant pair of pliers while being torn apart and wouldn't even sniffle.  
  
"Why are you crying? Did I hurt you?" Livid asked, leaning over and playing with her hair "you're only fourteen..."  
  
"Oh, no, you didn't hurt me... but..." she fell on him, sobbing on his chest. She was only fourteen, not only far too young for what her intentions with boys focused in, but also too young to lose her parents, the parents she loved, and the world she knew only.  
  
"?.... Salix... Please... I'm tired; I don't want another round..." he moaned, falling backwards onto the bed.  
  
"What are you talking about?! Look, you were good, but don't think I'll beg you for more, okay? By and by, I... I can't stand the fact that my parents might be dead..." she looked down, nuzzling his chest.  
  
"... They are, and I encourage you to get over it... Look, you can't always suck off of mommy and daddy, so start your own life now, okay?"  
  
"? No, not okay! I thought you were a SeeD!" she sat up, climbing off of the bed and pulling her dress over top of her head. She even looked around for her panties, which was odd because normally she didn't even deal with underwear in mornings, but she'd rather not be flipped over by an enemy and give it the blue moon.  
  
He whistled as she turned around, and tossed Salix her underwear "Duh! Oh my god, Hyne, I see a view of a genius."  
  
"Shut up. I mean are you really going to let the enemy get away with this? Or more, are you going to really advise your boss?"  
  
"I don't have a boss," he muttered, shrugging and laying back "Squall never had a boss."  
  
"Squall Leonhart's boss was Rinoa Heartilly, remember?" Salix sighed, stretching out her ruffled dress.  
  
"... I hate her. I was reading about her in our History books, she wasn't there helping Squall out. She took away his pride, made him her lap dog... made him 'sweet'... That's, that's disgusting. Especially the contract they wrote out! 'Until Timber's independence'?! What type of agreement is that?! That's why Cid is a fool..." Livid said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Well, you're my lap dog now, for one, and for two, Rinoa just so happens to be the enemy. She's Quagmire's 'assistant', and Perry Quagmire is the head of Jaromaru. Undoubtedly, she's involved in the attacks..." Salix shrugged.  
  
"How do you guess that?"  
  
"I talked to her once. No way somebody as Vice President is that stupid. There's a reason behind that whole 'President' scam... I know! We'll look up dirt on Quagmire!" she said brightly, like a light bulb had turned on her head.  
  
"Hyne, save me, she keeps thinking!" Livid moaned, sitting up finally and looked around "light me up that cigarette and I'll strap shoes on my feet..."  
  
"Smoking is such a filthy habit, really. Not even the bad kids consider smoking, just the stupid ones..."  
  
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!!! The door vibrated as somebody knocked on it.  
  
Break point  
  
"Hey, Livid, come on guy, get up! We can't find Salix!" it was Hega at the door.  
  
A look of panic and fear washed over Salix's face. "What do we do?" she mouthed at him.  
  
"I dun know!" he hissed back.  
  
"Okay, I'll hide, you keep it cool..." Salix climbed under the bed, as Livid leapt up and opened the door.  
  
"Yo, dude, you still ain't dressed!?" Hega didn't seem to really care about the fact that Livid answered in his boxers, though "look, we can't find Miss Salix! Oh, I'm tellin' you, this is like when the Chinks lost, and it all went down hill!"  
  
"Uh... Salix is gone!? Come on, let's go and find her, fast!" Livid felt a hard pain in the back of his leg as Salix kicked him from under the bed. She told him to act like he would before he banged her.  
  
"Huh? You okay, Livid?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, course I am! I mean... calm down, Hega. The little witch didn't get too far..." Livid said, sounding more like himself, and less corny.  
  
"Alright, then! Get some clothes on, and I'll meet you by the door!" Hega nodded, turning and running off. Livid shut the door, sighing slightly, before catching himself. Why was he so relieved?  
  
"That was close..." Salix climbed out from under the bed, handing Livid a pair of pants and shirt "you sure are clean, Livid."  
  
"Hey, I didn't know I'd get a naked girl in my bed so easily. If I had, I would have cleaned up, ya know?" Livid laughed.  
  
Ya know... A stab of physical pain entered Salix's side. Uncle Raijin, he still had to be alive. The Garden, it was all in one piece. They're aura, they're presence, still was around her for some reason, like they were standing next to her. She hoped they weren't dead and haunting her last night, at least.  
  
Livid frowned, noticing her lurch, but then curiosity struck him "Salix, how come you hid from Hega?"  
  
"Huh?" 'Because, of Sabbath' she thought, but instead said "because, I... Look, we ain't got time for this..."  
  
"But, we have time for that?" she realized that since they were standing so close, she had her hands down his boxers, fondling him.  
  
"Oops, sorry..." she giggled slightly, pulling her hands out "sub- consciousness..."  
  
"I see..." he shrugged.  
  
Break point.  
  
"Livid, don't say a thing, understand? I know how cocky you are, but if you intend to be cocky I'll tell them how many inches you are!" Salix threatened, racing after Livid through the halls of Naughty Dog, who proved how naughty it really was.  
  
"Cross my heart... But, why?" Livid asked, confused.  
  
"Look, I have reasons, and I thought we went through this!" she snapped.  
  
"You changed the reason... are you hiding something from me!?" Livid asked.  
  
"No, nothing but the things that are meant to stay hidden... Now, hush, we're nearing the door..."  
  
They came out in a bright patch of light on the escape hatch, to a bit of calling. The platform lowered out onto the ground and in front of Hega, who was amazed to see Salix "Hey! How where were you?!"  
  
Salix searched for a good cover up "um... I decided to explore some unknown parts of the ship last night, and I guess I fell asleep..."  
  
"In the big bedroom in the back? The orange one? The abandoned room, is that where you were?" Hega asked, giddy.  
  
"Um... Yeah, sure."  
  
"Darn! I told them to look there, but Selphie and Quistis said there was no way in the world you'd sleep somewhere so old and musty, and dark. I proved them wrong!" Hega turned, shouting out "hey, guys, she was in the ship all along! You can come back now!"  
  
From the little lush green bushes that dotted the islands cove, Selphie, Kega, and Ysamla emerged. From the other side, one filled with rocks and obviously a labyrinth of caves, emerged Tilba, Quistis, and Sabbath.  
  
Break Point  
  
"... You were really in this room?" Quistis stood outside of a small, unfriendly looking door, with shadows seeping out of the old cracks to reach out and yank somebody in.  
  
"Um, yeah..." Salix nodded. She hated lying to Quistis, but if it helped...  
  
"... Okay then..." Quistis nodded, pulling a pair of old looking keys out of her pocket "A dear, dear old friend of mine left thee with me quite some time ago... if I'm right about this ship, some kinky things happened in this room..." Quistis and Salix and only Quistis and Salix had come this far back into the ship. Tilba had said it was dangerous, too rusty, too old, too poor conditioned to go back there, that he himself had never went past the old revamped Pent House room. This room was just a bit back from the Pent House, and yet the surprise and shock Salix got from Quistis asking her to come back with her into this room made the time seem like forever. Still, the space ship was even a minute long all around, surprising Salix even more.  
  
"... Quisty, why did we come back here? I mean, I slept back here, I don't see what all the fuss is about-..." Salix stopped in mid sentence, because as soon as Quistis opened the door with the key, a picture was in plain view.  
  
They were kids, yes, but so familiar. Seifer Almasy, clearly, age 15, sat on a fish's head of a fountain, aiming the stream of water at Raijin, who was obviously laughing about being wet, while standing on another fountain was a worried looking Fujin, watching some of the stupidest gender play their idiotic games. But, even more intriguing, two young blonde headed girls sat backed up against the fountain, one making bunny ears over the older one's head.  
  
"Quistis... why is an old photo of my mom and dad in this room...?" Salix asked, stepping slowly into the room. She could feel hot water welling up in her eyes.  
  
"So, you weren't in here last night. Well... The two blonde girls in the center there? That's me, and the other one is none other than Saranie Almasy, your aunt. It wasn't until she was dead did I realize why she had given me the keys of this ship when she and Squall went to Ore... she didn't know who I really was, and had no reason to trust me. But a week after she was gone, the memories came swarming back to me, one by one. Saranie had came and visited a few weeks before my SeeD test, you see. We had been the best of friends as children... the GF's made me forget... But, this is when the photo was taken. She had to leave again, and that was the last time any of us saw her for a whole six and a half years... She wished me good luck on my test, then left. I passed my test... I didn't think they'd let me, I being so young, but I couldn't stop thinking that maybe Saranie had something, just something to do with it. It took so long to remember... it was when I finally came into this room to pick up her ship, I saw that picture... I couldn't bear to enter the thing again, so it was left here. This is Saranie's room..."  
  
Salix walked quietly through out the room. Obviously, she had stayed in contact with Seifer on some occasions. There were pictures of him and her at 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 ages. They seemed very close, like any pair of siblings who didn't always have to deal with each other. The freshest one, though... They were both in the same hall, the one with the fountain, and she was hugging his neck, looking happier than ever, but he himself... didn't look to good. He had black circles under his eyes, the eyes themselves weren't of the same bright green, but a dull dead grass, and he was unkempt and not so cool looking. That was the year after the sorceress dilemma.  
  
"... Quistis, I... Dad, everywhere, but at the same time, nowhere..." she sat down on the bed, sobbing onto her knees. How come he was gone?! What was Quagmire doing?! Once Quagmire was dead, whom would she have left to blame...?  
  
"... Salix..." Quistis sighed.  
  
Salix looked up slowly, but before she could reach Quistis's silent yet beautiful ice queen face, her eyes fell upon a wrapper. She stood up, moving over slowly and picking up the wrapper. A condom wrapper.  
  
"? I guess Saranie wasn't exactly halo-over-my-head Ellone or pretending- there's-a-halo-over-my-head Rinoa...?" Salix asked. She had indeed talked to Rinoa on the phone once long ago for a report, and seemed like she had the woman figured, as for Ellone, she loved Ellone to pieces, especially the way she was ready to throw herself into danger but not really exactly.  
  
"... You know what that is?"  
  
"Yeah, it's a condom... Trojan, I think... Too old, labels rubbed off... why?"  
  
"Young lady, if you know what a condom is, you have some explaining to do!"  
  
"... Eh? Look, I'm a teenager, ya can't hide these things from me..."  
  
"It's a little hard to devise a way to when the girl your trying to hide it from is in the next room fulfilling a man's pleasures!" Quistis said, angry now.  
  
"Quisty... Don't, okay? Besides, when I did ask mom about it, she handed me a condom and said 'study up, and remember this at all times', so nothing to be ashamed of... I wonder if maybe Squall and Saranie came back to the ship, and that's how it got here?" despite a gruesome thought of her aunt having sex, Salix was suddenly hyper about the condom wrapper.  
  
To Salix's dismay, Quistis shook her head "No, Sal. That was more than likely from Irvine and Saranie... Selphie says he throws them out everywhere... I mean, well, that's how the ship was broken. Selphie threw Irvine into the control panel after he had a little game with Saranie... Tilba Lee is a very talented mechanic, you know?"  
  
"... Rira, she was Saranie's cat?" Salix's eyes fell on another little picture, one that obviously Saranie took by holding the camera in one hand and squeezing her and the kittens face into the snap shot.  
  
"Oh, yes. After Saranie's death... Seifer kind of adopted him."  
  
"... I see... Quistis, could you please leave me alone? For a while, I mean? I have to contemplate this..."  
  
Quistis nodded in agreement to Salix, walking over and kissing her forehead "you sure you'll be okay?" after a nod of reassurance from Salix, Quistis reluctantly left.  
  
Break point.  
  
"Not this again!" Salix screamed, looking around in the pitch-black world that surrounded her. No lights, no presence, just... 'black'.  
  
"Oh yes, my dear... I'm afraid I haven't gotten through to you... Time is wasting, and you are in bed with a boy who might die at any second?"  
  
"Just a second! You're going to answer my questions now?!" Salix asked eagerly, turning and running towards the voice. Though she dreaded to hear it, and it's words, she loved its familiarity all the same. The voice in the dark, like God leading Moses, this female well-mannered voice was like the words of commandments to Salix.  
  
"... I shall... Please, what is it you must know that I have not told you?"  
  
"... Are you just in my dreams, or are you a messenger?"  
  
"... I am a messenger of the witches... Your aunt has sent me to be your guide..."  
  
"So, I'm not dreaming all of this? I mean, I am, but all the same it's... real? Wait, my aunt?! Saranie?! Is she alive?! Where is she!?"  
  
"... This, I cannot answer... You must find it... First, you must deal with your inner demon..."  
  
"... Inner demon?!"  
  
"... You have a power that's far greater than any witch I've ever seen... You must find a way to use such power as a weapon..."  
  
"... Power!? What power?! What do you mean, witches?!"  
  
"You, your father, your aunt... all witches... all of you, you're death my only come by the hand of a sorceress or witch... but, you, my dear, you and only you may be able to overcome such... You must stop the last sorceress..."  
  
Continued.  
  
Notes: Ow... well, my chest hurts, so I have really no clue where to go with this. I really get bad things go on with me when I write about the voice... itchy nose, chest pain, cuts start to hurt, I step on a cat... That's weird... Beware ze voice! 


	7. It Feels Too Good To Be Good

"... What are you? Isn't that what Squall had once said to you, Flame?"  
  
The soft eyes of the experiment once again opened to murky world of water, staring out of the tank at countless scientists, dorks, which never learned to get along with the real world. The eyes watched nothing, nothing of importance. But, something had awakened the girl...  
  
"... What are you, Flame?"  
  
'My name is Saranie... Almasy... and, I am human...' She answered in her head to that voice only she could hear.  
  
"... No, you are a witch... You are Flame."  
  
'No, I'm not! I'm Saranie, and His name is not Divinity, it's Squall!' bubbles flew out of her mouth as her eyes opened wider, angrier.  
  
'... Saranie? Who is this woman?' A new voice entered Saranie's mind, a male's voice, like a three way call.  
  
"Hmm... My name is... My nameeeee...issssss...myyyyyy naaaaaaammmmeeeee..." The voice drifted off, as though leaving.  
  
'... Is she gone? Can we finally rest in peace?' Squall asked Saranie, but, Saranie knew better.  
  
"It's not her fault, it's Rinoa's... why did you bring her back to life, Squall?! Why?! We'd be free if you hadn't gained powers, if you hadn't taken her mothers ring, if you hadn't brought her back!!!" Saranie's voice was loud, and angry. Hateful, angry, so angry, as though she hated Squall and every fiber of his being.  
  
'... I love her, Saranie. I cannot take this away... I am a male witch, Divinity... I need a sorceress...' he replied in his mind a minute later.  
  
'Until you think better of it, I will make you continue to sleep, sleep... for eternity... Never, ever cross a witch... Never... Never, never, never!' she twitched, every muscle. No scientist seemed willing to notice.  
  
"Flame! Divinity! You are choosing the roads of Gabriel and Merlin! These are unwise paths, I'd advise you against it!" The female voice was back.  
  
'... No... Go... away... AWAY... AWAY... AWAY... IF HE DIDN'T NEED A SORCERESS, HE WOULDN'T BE ASLEEP! SLEEP, SLEEP... ASH, SMOLDER, EMBER, FLAME, BURNING, HELL, BURNING, FLAME, EMBER, SMOLDER, ASH...' "FREE... FREE... ABOVE HUMANS... HUMANS, MUST DIE... ALL... I WILL NOT RELY ON MY BROTHER'S CHILDREN ANY LONGER!" "... ICE TO THE NORTH, ELECTRICITY TO THE EAST, DARKNESS OF THE SOUTH, FIRE OF WEST!!!" bubbles filled the tank, as Saranie was now completely awake. Her long still fingers clenched tightly, as all of her muscles lit up back into place.  
  
"... The girl! The female! She's awake! Alert security, call Rinoa, where Quagmire?!" "He wouldn't get into this, she's dangerous!" "Right, still, call Rinoa!" none of these words meant anything to Saranie. Inside the tank, they were muffled deep gibberish. In the thirteen years of waiting, she had forgotten language. How to speak...  
  
Her eyes shot from green to red, as fire, even inside water, spun around her, shattering the sides of the tank, sending a sea of waves out into the lab. Saranie took her first gasp of air, engulfing it sharply, then falling into a kneeling position, her hands on her lap and nearly five foot longer blonde hair falling over her nude body. Her eyes were pointed downwards, so as the astounded scientists watched the girl, none could tell if she was alive, asleep, or wide awake; Kind, angry, harmless, or dangerous.  
  
Green emeralds shot open from underneath the dripping blonde hair, as a sea of red spread out underneath every scientist from the girl's hands. She sung softly as the red water lapped softly at the scientist's feet. All were astounded with the beauty, and excited that the creature hadn't attacked them. "How much research we can do now!" "Hmm, I wonder if this girl has plans?" "Ew, Biggs, you've been talking about how 'hot' she is ever since you saw her!" "Well, she is pretty fine..." "She isn't even HUMAN!"  
  
'Human... I hate... humans...!!!' This was the final line for Saranie. She stood up, tilting her head back and screaming. The water on the floor suddenly turned to twenty foxes, all flaming and foaming at the mouth, leaping onto one of the scientists, the female who had said human. There was a murderous scream, and all of the foxes were on the floor once again, and once again turned into the red water. The other to scientists backed up, both staring at Saranie "... What- what are you?!"  
  
'...A human's question, of course. So pathetic...' she stood up, cupping her hands together and humming softly as a small little fire carnation formed in her palms. The men were once again mesmerized, this time by the flower, but beauty suddenly turned into fearsome. The little flower grew in seconds, and turned into a giant Venus Fly Trap, engulfing both men in one swipe, and then dwindling back down into a flower.  
  
Saranie took the flower, putting it into her long hair to keep one side pinned up. The vines wrapped around the back of her head and back onto the front to meet where it started, forming something of a crown. Saranie stepped out into the water, admiring the floor for a second, a small smile on her speechless lips. She waved her hands and all of the water reformed, taking a dog like shape, except this one was huge. The water then sunk into whatever inside, and revealed itself as a giant one of the foxes that had engulfed the female.  
  
"Ze mistress of ze flame... Once again, Rebuka of the foxes, and Venus of the plants has been awakened... what is our next motive?" The fox himself spoke, though his lips did not move. She just stared at him with those green eyes, then turned again to walk forward, walking towards the end of the room, her minion following.  
  
She stopped at the end of the room, staring down at a bed in front of her. 'You're well taken care of, Squall...' her green eyes narrowed as they fell across a pale sleeping, nightmare-ridden face of Squall Leonhart. He hadn't aged, though, just like here. '... I suppose I may be able to make a bit of use out of you...'  
  
She raised her hand, waving it softly. Little sprinkles of red glimmers fell from her fingers onto his sleeping face, sinking into his skin softly. After a minute had passed, his eyes shot open suddenly, a pale blue, soulless. He sat up, adjusting his clothes, as Rinoa wasn't about to do any tests on Squall, a man she wanted. After reassuring himself he was alive, he looked at Saranie, opening his lips to speak. She quickly placed her finger on his lips 'Think better of it, Merlin...'  
  
"Of course, Gabriel..."  
  
BREAK  
  
Salix sat up with a start in the old dark and dank bed she had went to sleep on, huffing and puffing. She looked around, familiar photos passing through her eyes as she let all events fall into place. She was still in the bedroom of Saranie Almasy, where she had fallen asleep. The voice... where did it take her? To another dream? To a prediction...? No... It was far too real for any of that... She felt physical things while watching Saranie Almasy escape, and murder three people. She was there, some how, and it was happening right now... Was the real enemy Saranie? Could her aunt really be that vile! Maybe the Almasy's weren't perfect, but could they do that?  
  
Salix sighed, climbing to the end of the bed, determination in her eyes more than fear 'so... Squall was the one calling out... it must have been, people he were closest to could hear him through his thoughts, because he was sleeping... So, that's why Seifer, Selphie, Irvine, Quistis, and Zell were all attacked... they were the people Squall was closest to... It's kind of... Saranie's fault, keeping him asleep... Hmm?' she looked down, seeing Sabbath sleeping on the floor. He was sitting on the ground with his back to a dresser, so obviously he was waiting there and had slid down to sleep.  
  
"... Sabbath? Hey, Sabbath, wake up" she leaned over, shaking him awake.  
  
His eyes opened slightly as he looked up at Salix, smiling as he saw her "you okay? You kind of fell out, so I got worried and came to see you..."  
  
"Yeah, of course. Why?" she smiled, leaning over the bed and grabbing his hand, pulling him to his feet. He smiled, leaning over and kissing her cheek. She leaned back, astounded a bit "huh?"  
  
"What's wrong?" he leaned over her, examining her closely "are you okay?"  
  
'Oh yeah... I'm his girlfriend, oops...' "Yeah, um, sorry."  
  
"... He hurt you, didn't he?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"That 'Livid' guy... He touched you... and, did he hurt you?"  
  
"... Livid? What do you mean, 'touched' me?"  
  
"Look, I know. Last night, when we came in, Livid was a tent and your chest was sticking out as much as the hair on the back of your neck. Also, last night I woke up on the couch. So, I headed back to my room; Livid's room is along the way. As I passed... I heard moaning... from you... from his room... was he hurting you...?"  
  
She blushed brightly, turning and covering her red face from view. 'I knew he knew... But, I refused to believe it... I guess every girl wants a guy like Livid when they're young, but a guy like Sabbath is also not too bad... I want both...' she sighed, looking down and thinking hard "... Sabbath, I can't..."  
  
"It doesn't matter, I guess... Just don't... just, stay... and let me love you..." he leaned forwards, raising her chin.  
  
She leaned forwards to kiss him, mesmerized in a way, yet snapped out of it when their lips slightly touched, yanking away "no, Sabbath..."  
  
"I want you, but, I guess I want you to be happy... so... If you want to be with Livid, I won't stand in your way..."  
  
"Sabbath, look... I... It's a little too late for me to change my mind..." she stood up, turning her back to him and walking out of the room "Hyne, I don't have time for any man. We have to get to Pandemonium..."  
  
BREAK  
  
"What did you do!?" Ysamla Dincht sat across from Salix, both alone in the hall. Salix sat on her thighs, raring to be away from Sabbath and Livid, whom only stood glaring at each other since ever boarding the ship. She was now sick of it, and the fact that either of them might resent her for not sitting anywhere near them. Instead, she decided she might get the word out. Of course, she couldn't say it to the adults from her mouth to their ears, so she did the second best thing. She told Ysamla, who would of course tell the adults, who would yell at Salix. Yup, just familiarity.  
  
"We had meeting of the lips, a groping in reproductive organs, and sexual intercourse. That's what I said, but so you can understand it, I'll dumbify it; We kissed, we rubbed, and we fucked. Okay? Which means, Sam, Livid's no longer available..." Salix said in a smug, smooth tone factor.  
  
"! Are you insane!? Look... You gave up your 'flower' because you want to keep a guy away from me!? You bitch! I would have let you have Sabbath, but..." Ysamla rolled her eyes, sighing.  
  
"! WHAT!? Hold it, Sabbath's just a second best to you?! Ysamla, aren't you my friend!? You... you... Ysamla..." Salix stood up, her eyes meeting Ysamla's "Ysamla... where's Seifer?"  
  
"... Uh, h- how should I know?" Ysamla twitched, backing up into the wall.  
  
"Liar! Where's my father!?" Salix stepped forwards, her eyes flaming with hate.  
  
"I... I... I don't... he's... I don't know!" Ysamla turned, heading into the control room.  
  
BREAK  
  
"Quistis... Ysamla... Is she your daughter?" Salix asked Quistis. They both walked together alone through the lightless city of Pandemonium, Quistis shining a flashlight around and calling out for survivors.  
  
"Hmm? Of course, why? Honestly, what did happen hear? Nobodies here, and it's lightless. Like... Something blew an electrical current and everybody got scared and ran away... Or, something attacked and killed everybody without leaving a single trace and cutting the electrical lines... Nothings amiss, really... Except for lights and people... Also, the sky..." Quistis looked up at the sky. It was red, a swirling red of blood, with black clouds dotting the line of it into a swirling center in the distance.  
  
"The swirling center is where we should head... it's still in Pandemonium by mileage, the source, so it obviously has something to do with this... I mean, well... How do you know she's your daughter?" Salix shrugged, looking up at the sky as well.  
  
"She came in from Zell, I was there, she was with me for nine minutes, I was there, and she popped out, I was there. That's how I know she's my daughter..." Quistis sighed, shaking her head. "Zell... It was one drunken night. I mean, really... I ended up marrying him to keep my reputation clean... I never did really love him in that way... We were an unhappy couple... I was more like his mother than lover... He barely even noticed it when I was trying to be affectionate to him in any way... We only had sex once a month... And yet, I can't help but want him back so badly I willing to throw my life away just so he can live for half a week itself..."  
  
"Of course you miss him, Quistis... But, Ysamla, do you think she misses him?" Salix smiled at Quistis, yet it was a smile of false hope and pity.  
  
"... No, I don't, really... Ysamla seemed so far away lately... Like, she's not my daughter, yet a girl whom is related but has slipped away, like Celbie is to you..."  
  
"... Was Sam ever involved in Jaromaru?" Salix asked slowly.  
  
"... I year ago, I think, Rinoa came to visit Zell and I at Kiba Garden. That was the same time Ysamla came to visit us too... She and Rinoa really hit it off. Ysamla went with Rinoa back to the Quagmire building, and she told me when she got back, she had gotten a lot of information..." Quistis shrugged.  
  
Salix stopped, wide-eyed and shaking. "That's it! Rinoa couldn't ever kill Seifer, they were together, no matter how cold hearted she was, Rinoa would always look for a guy so she could trick Squall into feeling jealous and want her, so she kept Seifer alive... And, Ysamla knows that! In fact, Sam probably helped..."  
  
"Yes! Ysamla told Seifer before we left for Kiba Garden to do this on his own, don't take Fujin or Raijin... Maybe your Garden wasn't touched, because Seifer was away on his own looking for you. Also, when we were fighting Vencita along with Zell, Ysamla kept casting phoenix downs whenever Whitney or Chasity were knocked out. She said she was having trouble controlling it. Zell must have known! And that's why he sent us away... Oh my god..." Quistis stopped, her eyes becoming blank. "Ysamla assisted in the death of her father!"  
  
"... Quisty..." Salix wiped a small tear out from under Quistis's eyes "... Sam is my best friend... she's always been my friend... Are we going to let Rinoa and Perry take her from us?!"  
  
"No! It's just... Oh, Zell... Irvine!... Seifer?... the Gardens... Saranie... Squall..." Quistis fell onto the ground, in her tired position, sobbing lightly.  
  
"... Stand up... Quistis... You'll never believe this..." Salix sounded actually a little happy, and was staring at the sky.  
  
"Hmm? What?" Quistis stood up, her mouth falling open when she saw what was coming towards them. A giant flaming saber toothed tiger landed in front of the two females, roaring at them with joy. Upon the tiger's back was none other than a gray haired woman with an eye patch and a broad shouldered man with a happy face.  
  
"MOM! UNCLE! RI!" Salix ran towards Rira, Fujin, and Raijin, running straight into Fujin as both headed for each other at top speeds. They collided, yet didn't seem to care the fact that they were being squeezed to death by the other one.  
  
"You're alive, mommy! You're all alive!" Salix sobbed onto her mother, gripping her shirt tightly.  
  
"... Seifer... where is he?" Fujin leaned back, talking normally, something she hadn't done in the past five days.  
  
"... I don't know..." Salix looked down, turning her attention to stroking the affection seeking head of Rira.  
  
"... Mrow?" Rira purred as she shrunk down into a little kitten, leaping onto Salix's shoulder.  
  
"... HYNE..." Fujin stared at Salix. Her face... Her eyes were bright and green, happy, yet were tired looking too. Her expression was cheerful and outgoing, a smile on her face even though her eyes looked as though they were ready to cry. Her hair even seemed lighter, and the fact that she was one hundred percent Almasy, it was hard for Fujin to say she had any part in Salix. With her appearance and a flaming kitten on her shoulder, Salix looked just like Saranie Almasy.  
  
"? Uh, guys... Shouldn't we be looking for Seifer, ya know?" Raijin shrugged, not really seeing as much as Fujin did. "... I mean, heck, that's why we left Zell in charge of Spiral Garden..."  
  
"? Zell?!" Quistis ran over to Raijin, a hopeful look in her eyes.  
  
"Uh, yeah, ya know?... We came lookin' for ya guys at Kiba, but we found it in ruins... We saw that giant snakes corpse, ya know, and saw that it had the Blades of Blood attack used on it, ya know? Only a darkness witch can use Blades of Blood, so we assumed Seifer had been there... We also found Zell, me and Fujin and Rira. But... he was in bad shape, so we took him back to Spiral Garden and he's watching over it, cause he can't fight, ya know?" Raijin shrugged.  
  
"Oh, Zell! He's alive!" Quistis sighed with relief, feeling tears of joy well up in her eyes.  
  
"... SEIFER... ALIVE...?" Fujin asked, a worried voice yet still as loud yelling.  
  
"... Yes, I think he is..." Salix nodded, looking towards the source "that's where Jaromaru is... And where we'll find Seifer..."  
  
CONTINUED  
  
Notes: Ha ha ha... Yes, I was missing my friend, the kitty... Neways... I am confuzzled... I want to get this story over with, but I'm havin' trouble endin' it... 


	8. You're My Angel

'... And now, I suppose that's the lot, right? Hmph... every friend I had will turn against me... And you wonder, Squall, why I'm like this...' Saranie thought, picking up a small stone off of the table next to her bed, running it through her fingers.  
  
The stone glimmered, a shine of quick light ringing through it. The light was very bright, at any rate, on the deep dark purple stone "I don't wonder, Saranie... You know that... You know that I know exactly why you're like this... it's that voice, Saranie! Don't listen to that voice, please..."  
  
'... Squall... You said you had to be a knight, right? At least, once, you said that... Please, be my knight?' Saranie's eyes narrowed as she stared down into the stone, where the real Squall's soul was being held captive.  
  
"... Why should I?!"  
  
"... Because... why can't you remember...? You're the cause of the voice, Squall... the voice that plagued me... Remember...'  
  
"Saranie? What are you talking about?"  
  
She passed her hand over the stone, as it then slowly dissolved, and Squall's body from behind her gasped, and then fell over. She had put Merlin's old soul in the body after capturing Squall's own soul, and tricked him into thinking she was Gabriel. It was honestly a common old trick used by witch's everywhere. Illusion was so kind to the magical folk. Now, she put Squall's soul back in his body.  
  
Squall stood up, feeling more like himself, until his eyes lay upon Saranie. He hadn't seen her in fourteen years, and last time he had seen her, they were in the middle of a kiss. And now, she was still the same in appearance, mood, and intelligence; and yet the woman he knew, he wanted to know, was far away...  
  
"... Let me make you remember?" She had finally spoken, her voice long and smooth, sweet, was still so magical it had to be put onto italics. As though a voice not meant for this universe.  
  
"... It wouldn't hurt, I guess..." Squall's voice was the same as hers, just out of place. He knew that she wouldn't hurt him, at any rate. He might have been wrong, but there was no reason to get chicken.  
  
She walked towards him, her long white dress flowing and rippling a great gust came when she set a finger on his head.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
"Hey, Saranie, will you hand me that ring?" Squall squatted down over a huge, grave shaped hole in the cave's floor. It was cold and dank, yet certainly not dark, provided the blue light that mystically shone through the transparent glass rock walls.  
  
"Squall, come on! I'm cold, up to past the point I'm willing to call you sweetie! I know one thing you love you won't be getting anymore if you keep these extravagant salvage searches up anymore..." Saranie leaned over the bag dumped onto the floor, going through it to find the piece Squall was looking for. She didn't like the fact that the past week they had been to Deling City, Timber, under the ocean to the old Airship they had nearly been killed in, and to the pet shop to get a border collie that looked just liked Angelo, Rinoa's old dog. She refused to see this suspicious, like Laguna had said.  
  
While they were visiting Laguna, she had told him about Squall's strange behavior, and he had said "what?... All of those places have something to do with Rinoa... Saranie, do you think Squall's still interested in Rinoa?" Saranie had refused to believe this. It broke her heart to think this was true, to think Squall would do something like this. But, even more, it hurt her that a few weeks ago he had awakened as a Divinity witch, and had become a whole new person. She hated this fact, actually...  
  
"... I tell you what, after this, you won't regret it..." he smiled, shrugging.  
  
She sighed, leaning over and holding out the ring, but gasping when he grabbed her hand instead, pulling her onto his lap. She hit him on the head, squirming "moron! I could sprain my ankle, you know?!"  
  
"Huh... Guess I didn't..."he shrugged, looping his arm around her to hold her in place, kissing her softly. She didn't reject it, until she felt him slide something into her mouth and punching her in the stomach, making her swallow the thing. She felt dizzy, as though ready to fall over. He picked her up, dumping her over into the pit they were near, along with Rinoa's ring and photo.  
  
A strange light surrounded Saranie, and she felt a piercing pain, as though something was being sucked out of her eyes. She then blacked out. Yet, looming over her now assumed dead body, loomed a certain sorceress...  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
Squall nearly fell backwards, staring at the saddened Saranie in front of him. His voice was no longer magical, fit exactly for this world "... I did that to you!?... That's right... I murdered you, because I needed a sacrifice to make Rinoa live... I'm, sorry..."  
  
"Ta, as if sorry would cut it!" she turned to a shadow, smiling slightly "take him to the prison. His death will be a repent...Squall, if you will remember, while you were having sex with Rinoa on the floor of Seraph Cave, the cave we were in when you murdered me, I arose from my grave and attacked you, too strong to die for the likes of you... I do believe I may be beyond 'witch'..."  
  
Seifer Almasy stepped out from behind the shadows, smiling at Squall "didn't I ever tell you? Break my sister, I break your leg."  
  
BREAK  
  
"... Come on..." Salix sputtered slightly, feeling her bones shake underneath her skin. Livid and Quistis followed her closely, and Salix could even feel Livid shake. They walked down a lifeless street towards Jaromaru building, and they could now see it; a huge tall blue building in the middle of the city, with a swirl of black on red above it. As they drew near, icey cold winds drug them in, not helping the situation at all.  
  
"... Salix, if we don't make it..." Livid said slowly, dodging a flying mailbox that had come in from behind him.  
  
"I knew it! You hadn't slept in Saranie's old room, you had slept with... Salix Almasy, you little slut!" Quistis had yet again realized something. What a genius, eh?  
  
"Feh, spare me. Look, I just want to get to the Quagmire building before Ysamla... I don't want to fight her..." Salix shrugged, as they finally reached the door of the Quagmire building. "... Livid... don't be a big butted jinx! We already got all the bad luck we need..."  
  
"You got that right..." came a blow off, cheerleader voice. Salix walked into the building and her eyes greeted none other than Rinoa Heartilly "... a little Almasy, huh?"  
  
Salix yanked up her staff, brandishing it at Rinoa, her eyes glaring. Livid yanked out his gunblade, slicing it through the air and bringing it back in a hovering position, just like Squall had. Quistis just stared at Rinoa "how could you, Rinoa? Trick my daughter into doing these things...?"  
  
"... Quistis... I didn't do anything bad..."  
  
"You pretty much made my baby evil!"  
  
"Evil?... isn't your side evil to us like our side is evil to you? There is no good and bad... didn't Squall once say that?" Rinoa smiled evilly, shrugging.  
  
"Squall was actually a pathetic student and a pathetic leader..." Quistis said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Hmph, maybe on the side that you taught him... but, when I was around, me and Squall learned so much together!"  
  
"When they would need an expert on being a poor scientist and assistant, Rinoa, I'll tell you..." an old man stepped out from behind Rinoa, glaring at the three "... hmm... Don't know the little girl, never seen the little boy, and... ah, Quistis Trepe, long time no see!"  
  
"?! GENERAL CARAWAY!" Quistis shook her head hard, amazed "oh my god... You're here?!"  
  
"Shush now, Quistis, my name on this planet is President Perry Quagmire. I got in trouble with the newer President of Galbadia, so I left that planet, and started anew here, by stealing an old family friend of Novato Almasy with a relationship that had turned sour. Therefore, call me Perry..."  
  
"... Well then, Perry, I'm Salix Almasy, nice to meet you?" Salix's eyes narrowed as she stepped forwards, glaring at him all the same.  
  
"And, I'm Livid Locksmith" Livid stepped up behind Salix.  
  
"? Seifer Almasy related in any way, eh? No doubt you're a terrorist, then... As for 'Livid', I do not believe I've ever heard of you..."  
  
"That's because my people hated you! I used to live in Timber, and Squall Leonhart had saved my older sister from a passing train... That's why I'm stepping in his footsteps, except this time I'll do things right; stay away from Rinoa Heartilly."  
  
"Oh, how rude! Do you know I fought for your town's independence?" Rinoa snapped at Livid.  
  
"For one, I hate the fools who think that kidnapping people and killing and hurting while putting others in danger is good, like your damn resistance. For two, you left at the first pair of a man's eyes and Timber still isn't independent. Yes, you did very good..." Livid said sarcastically.  
  
"Cut it, kid, women are so much better at sarcasm."  
  
"Look here, Rinoa... Either you tell me what's going on, or I'll beat the two of you up..." Salix was short tempered, yes, but being called a terrorist didn't hurt her feelings, because that's what she was to the current president and the people with him.  
  
"... Hmph. Well, okay then... Around fourteen years ago, there was a sorceress called Cennaire. Jaromaru was totally devout to Cennaire, but there was a resistance against Cennaire. The head of that resistance was Saranie Almasy. She murdered me, Rinoa. Well, she also gained the hand in marriage of Squall Leonhart. Squall was my ex, so of course he was still madly in love with me. So, he gained witch powers, the Divinity. That was the most rare power, and it was dealing with life. He brought me back to life, in the process trying to kill Saranie. Saranie somehow didn't die... so, we captured her, to do testing, but before we could, she..." Rinoa dragged off.  
  
"Stole Squall's soul and is holding him hostage...?" Salix interrupted Rinoa.  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"I know why Saranie didn't die... The voice in my head, talking to me in my dreams, she said '... Flame is a witch of extreme power, she over exceeds all and can only die by the hand of love...'"  
  
"... Squall killed her for me, that's love!" Rinoa snapped.  
  
"... I think she may have meant by the hand of somebody who loved her, and doing that in the intention of love... What is a witch...?" Salix asked, more confused she let off.  
  
"? You said all of that and you don't even know what a witch is!?" Caraway, or Quagmire, exclaimed.  
  
"I mimicked the voice... I understand a little bit of it... but the witch thing? I know about the wicked witch of the west, and one's with green faces and nose warts, but aren't those make believe...?"  
  
"You were taking it all from your memory? Well, for such a little girl you sure can remember! Hmm... a witch is..."  
  
"Saranie. She's a witch. A fire witch, to be precise... Seifer, he's a darkness witch. Nanto and Celbien are electricity and ice witches. A witch is somebody who can make, manipulate, and destroy certain elements. Their own elements, if you will. They are magical beings, just above humans, just under sorceress's... Female witch's are meant to destroy sorceress's, even... Salix, you are a dormant witch yourself. Undoubtedly, a darkness witch, since you inherited it from your father, and Fujin has not witch genes... One day, you will awaken, and be able to do anything you want with the shadows..." Quistis butted in, sighing and getting it over with.  
  
Salix stood, shocked "hold it... so, I do have something to do with all of this? Besides, being able to be the one Squall kept reaching out to?"  
  
"Wait... that was you?!" Rinoa asked, shocked "we knew he was using telepathy on somebody, just not who! We never could have guessed it was... you... How does he even know you?"  
  
"Through Flame, of course..." came a deep, hissing voice from behind them. A man stepped out of the shadows from down the hall, leaning back a little and smiling evilly at them. He wore a long gray trench coat, with red markings on the shoulders. His black pants and blue shirt, with the silver necklace to top it off, it made the blonde unmistakable.  
  
"Daddy!" Salix dove straight into Seifer's arms, sobbing on his shirt "you're alive, I knew you were alive, I knew it!"  
  
"... Salix?" he looked down, a look of disgust in his eyes as he shoved her away. She just stood there, staring at him, wide eyed.  
  
"... Daddy... it's me... what's wrong with you...?" she felt like sobbing. Something was wrong, her father wouldn't reject a hug from her in a million years.  
  
"...? Little girl, who do you think your talking to?! I'm Seifer Almasy, not 'daddy'."  
  
"Ya huh... You're my daddy..." Salix took a step forwards, despite the countless rejections received from the others around her.  
  
"I AM NOT! Stay away from me, little girl!" he swiped out a familiar, not his though gunblade, brandishing it.  
  
"Oh, that's Squall's gunblade!" Rinoa gasped "... and it seems as though Saranie has made him her slave..."  
  
"He must have Squall's because I had his... Daddy... Dad... Father, put the weapon down..." she stepped forwards, frowning at him and outstretching her hand, touching his softly.  
  
His eyes brightened as he looked at her, shaking "... Sal?... What's wrong? Don't cry... NO, WAIT, I MEAN, GET OFF OF... me... Salix... Stay away..."  
  
Salix smiled, finding a weak point "Father... Tell me about how you put a scar on Squall?..."  
  
"...? Well I..." there it was. If she continued getting her father to remember his old self, she'd eventually lead up to her, and be free of Saranie...  
  
CRASH The roof fell in on the far corner. As everybody cleared their air supply of debris and dust, they're eyes came to realize a giant flaming saber toothed tiger as it glared at them, fangs barred.  
  
"Rira!" Salix sighed in relief running over to hug her cat friend. But, she was blocked off from a huge wall of flames.  
  
"... Anything Saranie wants, Saranie gets... That includes your kitty friend..." Rinoa said as Seifer walked over, leaping onto Rira's back and being carried out through the hole. Salix plunged forwards, staring out through the impact at the clear night open sky, watching her previous pet carry her father up and away towards the top of the building.  
  
Quistis had enough. This was going to stop, the confusion. She turned, snapping at Rinoa "WHAT'S GOING ON?!"  
  
BREAK  
  
"... Thirteen years ago, the Jaromaru forces captured Saranie Almasy, after she withstood a poison given to her by Squall, a highly dangerous poison called Venus. It should kill upon consuming. Yet, she survived... Therefore, we captured her and started testing right away, like any good group of government and scientists. But, as we were testing on her, four years afterwards, while being transported to the main building, she awoke after we had held her hostage in sleep. She only managed to destroy Jaromaru in Kiba, or so the reports state. But, we held one tiny secret from those reports... she had succeeded in capturing Squall Leonhart's mind and soul and was holding him hostage. He fell in a deep sleep, and we did all possible to awake him, with no prevail. It was while trying to wake him, we found Cennaire's life pattern inside of Saranie. It seemed the same fire Saranie had used to burn Cennaire in returned to the girl, carrying Cennaire's life along with it. Cennaire is now infected into Saranie... Cennaire is Saranie, and Saranie is now Flame, the giant bird that is used to resemble Saranie's fire powers... Flame, she's the good guy... but, she's being held hostage in her own body by the bad guy... Now, Cennaire is taking all those close to Saranie, and minions of the past, and brain washing them so they will become her slaves. She has made this, Jaromaru, her nesting grounds once again, and is commanding from the highest floor... Squall was trying to prevent this, we understand, and Flame had taken Squall's mind and body so she could speak to him afterwards, and he could speak to the outside world... The voice was somebody Squall was signaling out too in the spirit world to signal out to you..." Caraway said slowly.  
  
"... I see... now..." came a small voice from behind the group. They turned, staring at a badly beat up Fujin.  
  
"MOM?! What happened to you!?" Salix ran over, letting her mother fall onto her.  
  
"Rira attacked... me and Raijin... on our way to signal the others where to go... we barely got away... I followed Rira over this way to see what was going on while Raijin went the other way to signal the others... It seems, Seifer and Rira were under Cennaire's control... I get it now..." Fujin coughed.  
  
"...?... Mom, are you okay?..." Salix asked.  
  
"NO! RAGE!" Fujin snapped.  
  
"... What does she mean?" Livid asked, a little confused as Salix just cheesed happily.  
  
"She means 'get my man back now or you're grounded for life, Salix Almasy!'"  
  
BREAK  
  
Squall Leonhart sat up against the back of the prison cell, his head in his hands "Cennaire took over both of us... What made us so vulnerable, Saranie?"  
  
... Love...  
  
"What?... Love weakened us?... Our love for each other...?"  
  
... No, our love for other's... Feh, like we loved each other...  
  
"... I loved you!"  
  
There's a fine line between hate and love, Squall. Your affection was one sided...  
  
Squall hugged his head, nearly sobbing. He was imitating what Saranie would say, except like always he was putting himself down. Down into a ditch, his only escape rope, Saranie, was slipping away. He looked up again, seeing through the bars of the jail cell. Why did a damn White House remake have a prison, anyways? Wasn't that putting prisoners a little too close to home? Eh, he supposed he couldn't put it past Rinoa.  
  
"... Saranie... how come you can't overcome Cennaire...? In fact, why the hell am I talking to myself!?" Squall snapped out of it, looking down again and sighing.  
  
"Touching, but no cigar... She can't overcome Cennaire because she loves you, like you said..." Seifer appeared from the shadows, staring at Squall.  
  
"... You're one to talk, Cennaire. Why do you take over Seifer as well...? He didn't do anything..."  
  
A grin spread across Seifer's face "because every good villain needs a few cronies. Besides, I can use him as a shield against that annoying daughter of his..."  
  
"...? Annoying?! Excuse me, but I don't even know you! Where do you like totally get the right to speak about me that way?!" came a young, angry voice as three people, one of which Squall knew and remembered well, transported out of the shadows.  
  
BREAK  
  
"Hold it! How did you learn to control shadows?!" Seifer stood, agape at Salix, Quistis, and Livid.  
  
"I learned it from you, daddy. You were always showing up out of nowhere if you were really worried, so I just got really worried and walked into something shadow. I brought these guys along, too. Pretty nice, huh?" Salix grinned evilly.  
  
"! Hmph, no matter! You can't defeat me anyways!" Seifer grinned, yanking out Squall's gunblade as Rira came bounding down the hall, turning into a giant tiger, both in battle ready stance, as Squall behind them yelled about where his weapon had went.  
  
BREAK  
  
The battle was going on too long. Salix got worried. Very worried... They were too low at level to defeat Rira and Seifer in less than fifteen minutes, how would they ever go up against Saranie?  
  
At least Salix had found out she could easily attack Rira and Seifer. Was she really a monster, being able to harm the bodies of those she loved? No, she wasn't! This was Cennaire, toying with her mind... Was it?  
  
"... SALIX CAST YOUR MAGIC ALREADY!" she heard a shout from Quistis, and realized she was in the middle of casting Thundaga, yet had stopped to think things over.  
  
"Oh, right, ma'am..." Salix nodded, casting Thundaga on Rira, who finally fell under the pressure, dead. Salix's eyes opened wide. "I... didn't want to kill her! Oh, Rira!"  
  
"Look, it's over with, I'm sorry! Now, get back to the battle and focus on Seifer, not your feelings! This is a fight, not a seminar!" Quistis snapped at Salix.  
  
"It's too late, you haven't been paying attention to Livid..." came a scowling voice from Seifer. Salix looked shocked as she glanced over at Livid. He was petrified, poisoned, and only had 56 in health...  
  
"DADDY, NO!" it was too late. Seifer had lunged, except this attack had nothing to do with games. It wasn't the attack that was meant to knock out, one that could be revived with a phoenix down. It was a murder attack. One that was meant to kill. And kill it did...  
  
Livid's petrify wore off as he looked down at his chest, and the huge slash mark through it, before he fell too his knees and onto the ground, never to breath again. Salix ran over, throwing her arms around him, sobbing onto his neck "LIVID! Wake up, you can't die, I need to you to stay alive! I need you..."  
  
BREAK  
  
Salix's eyes opened from the intense sobbing after realizing there wasn't anything in her arms anymore. She stood up, yet very still, looking around confusedly. She was in an endless white room, no wall in sight... It all was just 'white'.  
  
"... Salix?" came a very familiar female voice. Salix turned around, facing a tall, beautiful blonde woman in a long white dress.  
  
"... You're the voice, the one in my dreams... Where... am I?" Salix looked around, confused. Her eyes laid across a body on the floor, a young boy in white. "LIVID!?" she kneeled down, catching sight of her own dress and realizing she too was in white.  
  
"... You're dead, Salix..." the woman said softly.  
  
"?! DEAD?! You mean... my daddy killed me..." she looked down, feeling her eyes grow hot.  
  
"... Yes... but, Salix, it isn't your time... Oh, and, each new comer gets one wish before they enter the spirit world... Tell me, what is your wish?"  
  
"... I... I know! I want to change the past! Will you come with me, uh...?"  
  
"Of course. My name is Mariah, I'm your grandmother."  
  
BREAK  
  
"So... Mariah is out and about saving people, huh?" Seifer asked as they anxiously awaited Saranie's return at the control room door.  
  
"Looks like it... Is she lost?" Squall asked.  
  
"I hope so... nothing should take Saranie this long..."  
  
Salix landed in front of Squall and Seifer, in the control room of an old air ship, with Ellone, Fujin, Raijin and Shun in presence as well. All of them looked up, staring, amazed as a gray haired fourteen year old and blonde haired twenty year old landed in front of them. Salix looked around, smiling slightly. Exactly fourteen years ago.  
  
"Squall Leonhart?" she turned to Squall, smiling "do not wait for Saranie! Get to upstairs with Cennaire as fast as you can and meet her there, because that's where she is heading this moment! And, during the fight with Cennaire, do NOT allow Saranie to use her greatest attack, Soul Fire, where a giant bird will come out and kill Cennaire. If you do, the place will explode, and you and Saranie will not make it out alive! Now, hurry, quickly!"  
  
She ran over, grabbing Squall, Seifer, and Ellone's hands, dragging them out of the room and pushing them towards the hall "run!" Squall turned around, seeing Mariah and mouthing her name slowly, before turning and heading off towards the stairs.  
  
BREAK  
  
Salix Almasy, age fourteen, giggled as she sat at a table in Balamb Garden's Ball Room, watching the SeeD ball take place around her. Her parents, Fujin and Seifer Almasy, now heads of Garden's in Spiral on Urone, were visiting her aunt and uncle, whom were heads of Balamb Garden, and it was the time of the SeeD ball. Students and SeeD's alike waltz around the dance floor, a flury of colorful dresses. Across from Salix sat Squall Leonhart, who laughed at the cheerful girl "I'm telling you... the girl who told me to go and stop Saranie looked just like you, Salix! I know that's impossible, but still..."  
  
"Well, uncle... I... Hee hee... I don't know! I was never there!" she giggled like a maniac.  
  
"Oh, no... Squall, that old story about how she looked like that girl who made you come rescue me? You're so lame..." Saranie walked over to Squall, wrapping her arms around his neck and rolling her eyes. Following her was Irvine Kinnease and Zell Dincht, with their lovers and children, all of which perfectly alive and well. Though, this time, Ysamla wasn't brainwashed, and the happy girlfriend of Sabbath Kinnease.  
  
"I'm just saying... Hey, you weren't there, how do you know!? Well, at least Seifer and Fuijin and Raijin and Ellone and Shun know..." Squall shrugged.  
  
"Yeah, Seifer, Fuijin, Raijin, real believable, three people who have been classified as mentally absurd in Garden records, Shun, who was in a rebellion and nearly blew himself up, and Ellone who claims she can battle in a white long skirt and slippers..." Saranie teased him, shrugging.  
  
Salix smiled, sighing as a certain song reached her ears. It was a song she had grown to like, one she had grown to love. It was Aerosmith, and it was called Angel. She knew exactly why she liked it. As she turned to look at the dance floor while the group behind her argued over old fights and happiness, she noticed somebody especially, one coming near her. He was tall and gruff looking, yet happy all the same. He had tired blue eyes, pale skin, and brown spikey hair. He was wearing a blue SeeD uniform, too.  
  
"Good day, Headmaster Leonhart, Headmistress Leonhart" the boy bowed to Squall and Saranie, and then turned to Salix "hello there, miss..."  
  
"Salix, this is Livid Locksmith, he's one of our newer SeeDs..." Saranie nodded to Livid as Salix stood, curtsying to him. He took her hand, kissing it.  
  
"Miss... Salix... May I say that is a beautiful name?"  
  
"As is Livid, Livid..." she nodded at him, smiling.  
  
"Would you like to dance, Miss Salix?"  
  
"Of course... Just, call me Salix" Salix Almasy smiled slightly as he pulled her out onto the floor at Angel. They slow danced softly, as the only thought running through Saranie's head was 'I'll never tell that I was once an angel, also a witch, and even more, a heroine...'  
  
"I want your love,  
Let's break the walls between us,  
Don't make it tough  
I'll put away my pride..."  
  
THE END  
  
Notes: I wanted to be different, I wanted to be inspired, so I made this the end. I thought it would be a lot better than leaving it off that there was a dead lover and Irvine and a girl was scarred for life because she killed them all and such... Anyways, I'll still continue to write, but this story is over with. When you make a third one, your just stretching it on and on and on... That's just wrong. Now, everybody, take a bow!  
  
Cast: Just glares  
  
Me: DUN MAKE ME PUT PINK TUTUS ON YOU!  
  
Cast: Falls on ground with bows 


End file.
